Churchill’s Urinal at King’s Head Theatre Review
Rosie Holt in Churchill’s Urinal. Photo: Steve Ullathorne
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Churchill’s Urinal is a new play written and performed by actor/comedian Rosie Holt, with additional dialogue from Stewart Lee. Holt is probably best known for her viral videos featuring a Conservative MP character. In this comedy, she plays a newly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer who wants to remove the ancient urinal that’s in the en-suite bathroom at Number 11 Downing Street – leading to public and media outrage when it’s revealed that Winston Churchill himself used this archaic facility.
It’s very well written – whilst not particularly groundbreaking in its content, Holt has given us plenty to think about the state of UK politics without preaching or ranting. From the online abuse aimed at women in power to a media focus on trivial issues whilst ignoring the important ones – it’s all weaved into the narrative with plenty of laughs along the way. It’s also bang up to date, referencing recent events and prominent political figures of all party colours – I imagine that by the time it reaches the Edinburgh Fringe in August, it will have gone through quite a few script revisions!
Although the urinal story acts as a hook, this is not a straightforward play. From the start, Holt breaks the fourth wall, moving from a phone call from her sensitive Gen Z assistant Sophie to talking to and engaging with the audience, something that continues throughout the performance. It gives her the opportunity to address us with monologues and give a more detailed sense of the frustrations her character experiences than a more traditional two-way dialogue would allow. It also plays to her strengths as a performer – her reactions and body language telling us just as much about her as her words do. We also learn that our Chancellor is going through a divorce, adding a human element to her story and reminding us that politicians are people too. Well, some of them!
For the first half of the piece Holt is alone on stage. After a very strong opening and some entertaining sequences, particularly one involving a Zoom interview, the pace and energy does drop slightly. But then the pressure builds and she reaches for the vodka, and is joined on stage by Michael Lambourne who plays the PM’s assistant Charlie as well as a more eccentric (and probably hallucinated) role – giving us a ghoulish figure with suitably spooky make-up offering guidance and judgement. His arrival gives Holt somebody to bounce off, mixes things up a bit and keeps us interested as the story develops.
Director Daniel Clarkson has made good use of the set and space, with some well choreographed sequences with desk and mobile phones (always on the verge of running out of battery) adding to the growing comic chaos.
Rosie Holt is an engaging performer, very much at ease with her audience interactions. She is naturally rather softly spoken and at times some of the dialogue is a little difficult to hear, particularly when she is not directly facing her audience, a recurring issue as the play is staged in the round. But, as the dramatic situation escalates and she becomes increasingly unhinged, Holt’s manic energy is both highly entertaining and wins audience sympathy. Her speech at the play’s climax is bold, confident and even Churchillian!
In Churchill’s Urinal Rosie Holt gives some depth to one of her characters, rather than having them just appear in short skits and videos, as well as offering witty and topical comment on the current state of UK politics and the way our media can escalate a non-event into a crisis overnight. It’s also a clever reminder that when it comes to women “smashing the glass ceiling”, the odds are definitely stacked against hem. It could maybe do with shaving a few minutes off the running time but is a thoroughly entertaining show, its story told with originality and great humour.
Churchill’s Urinal runs at the King’s Head Theatre until Saturday 6th June ahead of a run at the Edinburgh Fringe from 13th-23rd August 2026.
★★★★