Theatre Guild

The Unfriend by Steven Moffat
 

While on holiday, Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She's less than woke but kind of wonderful. They agree to stay in touch – because no one ever really does, do they?

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When Elsa invites herself to stay a few months later, they decide to look her up online. Too late, they learn the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski. Deadly danger has just boarded a flight to London! But how do you protect all that you love from mortal peril without seeming, well, a bit impolite? Because guess who's coming... to murder!

 

The Unfriend premiered at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester in May 2022, and ended its planned limited run in July 2022. It transferred to the West End in January 2023 and ran until April 2023, with the original cast from Chichester all returning. In December 2023 it returned to the West End starring Lee Mack, Sarah Alexander and Frances Barber running until March 2024.

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Main Characters

· Elsa Jean Krakowski: Age 50s/60s A brash, larger-than-life, widow from Denver, USA. She's an "enigma," possessing both charm and a potentially manipulative nature. MUST HAVE AN AMERICAN ACCENT

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· Peter: Age Late 30s / 40s One half of the English middle-class married couple. He is a well-meaning but socially awkward man, described as indecisive, prone to dithering, and a "Guardian-reading" liberal.

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· Debbie: Age Late 30s / 40s The other half of the couple, she is more practical, grounded, and anxious than Peter. Her primary focus is protecting her children and preventing her husband from making a fool of himself.

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· Supporting Characters

· Alex: Age 16 to18 Peter and Debbie's son, a video-game obsessed and generally awkward teenager.

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· Rosie: Age 16 to 18 The couple's daughter, a "stroppy," moody, and slightly selfish adolescent who is very nosy.

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· The Neighbour: Age 55 to 70 A "lugubrious," relentlessly boring, and passive-aggressive man from next door who keeps trying to talk to Peter about trivial boundary issues. He is so unmemorable that no one in the family can remember his name.

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PC Junkin: Age 20s to 50s – Male or Female An amiable, gullible, and not particularly intelligent police officer who visits the house for an unrelated reason but gets involved in the unfolding chaos and provides some physical and deadpan humour to the plot.

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Audition pieces