Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) at Soho Theatre Review
Written by Eloise for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Content warnings: references to mental health, strong language, drug use, references to sexual assault, haze, and strobing light effects.
Jade Franks brings Eat the Rich to Soho Theatre for a limited run from the 17th June to the 3rd July 2026 after a very successful run at Edinburgh Fringe in 2025.
Eat the Rich is everything you could want for a one-woman play and a good night out at the theatre. The mainly autobiographical play is written by Jade Franks, as she plays herself and other characters (and caricatures) she encounters on her adventures. We follow Scouser, Jade, from her job at a call centre, interview at Cambridge University, and her first term studying at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The play mainly explores the disparity of someone from a working-class family going to Cambridge. Jade is first in her family to go to university and is working as a cleaner alongside her studies to get through – all of this combining to create a complex social life for her. Thematically, this story has been told before and will be told again. However, Franks has such charisma and character - the audience can’t help but be grabbed with both hands and bought into her whirlwind life and confident approach.
Straight away I was struck by the energy of the play, reflected in a great sound mix, fast and beat heavy music (sound design by Roly Botha) and clever lighting design (Zoe Beeny) – taking the audience seamlessly in and out of Jade’s different worlds. Stylistically, the stage is set up with an old-style school desk with a corded pink phone - which acts as a modern mobile, call centre phone, and speaker throughout the play. This lovely use of set and props is simple but works so well to keep the focus on Franks and the narrative driving forward. Franks takes up every inch of the stage with her infectious energy and confidence – physically transforming into each character, lit in different colours and spots around the stage.
Franks is a wonderful performer who thrives in front of an audience. As Eat the Rich is autobiographical, there is a sense that the audience is getting to know the real Jade as opposed to a persona. In the particular show I watched there were specific quips from Franks – such as when she accidentally broke a nail, or had an issue with a piece of set – which she made very ‘her’ and encouraged the audience to get involved. Rather than this coming across as withdrawing from the story, it had the opposite effect – instead allowing the audience in through another window to Franks’ mind.
Franks created an atmosphere not just of fun and play, but of education and sincerity. Despite this being a hilarious play, full of wit and humour – there are some really serious themes which Franks doesn’t shy away from. From smaller, explicit references to genocide and the government, to the overarching theme of classism and inequality within education – Franks’ dives headfirst. And as she ironically and hilariously says in her thank yous in the play text she mentions her Cambridge college as “restorative justice at its finest”.
There are some real highlights in Eat the Rich, including Franks’ hilarious portrayals of her Cambridge colleagues which show her not only to be a wonderful storyteller – but a talented actor too. Particular highlights were in the couple of moments where Franks’ goes into her inner monologue, where time slows and speeds up all at the same time. A recorded voice-over of Jade begins spiralling as the lights draw in and Franks has a moment of panic. Though both existential and hilarious in their potential hyperbole, but very real, rooted fear – these moments added a really nice depth to the play which showed the inner workings of our protagonist’s mind.
Overall, Eat the Rich is a very successful one-woman play, full of humour, energy and wit but with an overarching spark of genuine desire to educate and emblazon change.
Unfortunately, the current run at the Soho Theatre is currently sold out – however Jade Franks will be taking Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) to Shedinburgh on the 8th August 2026.
★★★★
