WRITTEN BY MATTHEW TANNER
Verbal Diary introduced us to the absurd, ambitious mind of Tom Johnson. Armageddon Outta Here sees him gleefully dial everything up to catastrophic proportions. Where once the chaos lived inside a diary, it now engulfs the entire planet.
This new project follows Johnson’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Verbal Diary. Paul Bradley and John Otway entrusted him with their long-forgotten script. It was originally performed at the Edinburgh Fringe some 40 years ago. The result earned Johnson a place on Chortle’s Top 10 recommended comedy plays at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Armageddon Outta Here sees Tom Johnson gleefully dial everything up to catastrophic proportions.
Matthew Tanner
Apocalypse now
The premise for Armageddon Outta Here is simple enough: an asteroid hurtles toward Earth. Total annihilation looms. Yet what unfolds is less a tale of survival and more a showcase for human absurdity. Ego clashes, petty grievances, and existential dread take centre stage as last-minute confessions spill out, old grudges resurface, and wildly misguided survival plans unravel with spectacular stupidity. Musical numbers are included, featuring Charlie Skelton (fiddle) and co-star Rob Glenister (guitar), for good measure.
The Day Southend Stood Still
Structured as a high-energy sketch show, the piece ricochets from one absurd scenario to the next, each escalating the chaos further. Written by Johnson and Chris Roberts, it builds on their award-winning short Sacrifice, expanding it into a full-throttle hour of surreal, end-of-the-world mayhem.
There is, too, a growing sense of ambition. Johnson has never been one to think small, his reworking of Verbal Diary already hinted at a creative restlessness. However, Armageddon Outta Here feels like an artist actively testing the limits of scale. One hears whispers of a 24-piece brass band joining him on stage at the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival. As if such extravagance were the most natural thing in the world.
Armageddon Outta Here feels like an artist actively testing the limits of scale.
Matthew Tanner
End of days
As Johnson himself puts it, “It’s the apocalypse we deserve.”
Armageddon Outta Here debuts at The Dixon Studio, Palace Theatre, Southend (28 May). Then it heads to the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival (31 May), and then a run at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.
