REVIEW: ARSEHOLE @ LOWER MARSH ARTS CLUB

🎭 Arsehole

📍 Lower Marsh Arts Club, 134 Lower Marsh, Waterloo, London, SE1 7AE

🗓 Sunday 25th October 2026

⭐️ 5 Stars

FLUSH WITH SUCCESS

Last night I was lucky enough to catch two shows in a row at Lower Marsh Arts Club (LowMAC). Both were great, but very different, and I walked out of ARSEHOLE genuinely asking myself "What have I just watched?".

Let me tell you, I was indeed expecting something a bit mad, but I didn’t expect to witness absolute fringe theatre history. Louis Catliff’s ARSEHOLE is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most brilliant, unhinged, and outrageously funny pieces of theatre you will see this year.

The premise sounds like a fever dream: a dark comedy espionage thriller monologue told entirely from the perspective of a sentient toilet servicing a dysfunctional Chelsea mansion. It’s pitched as Trainspotting meets Magic Mike, and somehow, it completely delivers on that wild promise.

Catliff doesn’t just perform, he commands the stage with an electric, quick-witted energy that is utterly inexhaustible. Dressed at the beginning in an immaculate white suit, he personifies this murderous bathroom fixture with a strange, magnetic charm that makes you completely buy into his bizarre world. Ten minutes in, the crowd was already roaring with laughter, totally hooked by a script that balances razor-sharp satire on oligarch wealth with pure, unfiltered, dark comedic brilliance.

Catliff is utterly mesmerising as a performer. The way he interacts with the audience is pure genius - the guy in the middle of the front row didn't know where to look at one point! He carried an aura about him that was innocent, deranged - and dare I say, quite sexy - all at the same time! Who would have ever thought that I'd find a man playing a toilet that eats people so strangely attractive!

He's hardworking too, completely throwing himself into the role and losing all inhibitions. You could literally see the sweat dripping off him as he gave the entirety of himself, and I lapped it up. The performance that is, not the sweat!

The only thing that annoyed me about the evening was how I'd managed to completely sidestep the works of Catliff until now. He's an incredible writer - I mean, who even comes up with an idea like this? - and a magnetic performer. I may not have been aware of his work before, but he's definitely on my radar now.

The piece is directed with fantastic precision by Nash Metaxas, who manages to fill the stage wonderfully. He ensures that each and every member of the audience around the thrust staging feels included from the very beginning, which is no mean feat.

Moving at a breakneck pace, the show is crude, hysterical, and deeply clever. By the time the curtain call came around, my sides were aching from laughing so hard. My only criticism when it ended was that I wanted more!

The show's run at LowMAC is now finished, but you can catch ARSEHOLE at Playhouse East later this week, where it plays for two nights on the 29th and 30th October. CLICK HERE for tickets - you won't regret it.

This is toilet humour like I've never seen before, and is one of the easiest five stars I've awarded in a while.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Arsehole was gifted by writer and performer Louis Catliff, who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST:

Performed by Louis Catliff

CREATIVES:

Writer - Louis Catliff; Director - Nash Metaxas; Sound Designer - Charlie Yang

RUNNING TIME (approx):

50 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Themes of adult relationships; High-society corruption; Suggestive references; Adult language

AGE GUIDELINE:

15+

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