The Underground Man

The Underground Man is the fictionalised diary of a deeply eccentric English aristocrat William John Cavendish Scott-Bentinck, the 5th Duke of Portland who becomes increasingly frustrated by his own ageing body and bewildered at the world about him.

The Duke commissions the construction of a labyrinth of tunnels, large enough to take a coach and horses, beneath his estate and retreats into them. While he spends an increasing amount of time underground and retreats even deeper into the darker corners of his house, there are some ghosts that demand to be acknowledged, and some memories that insist on making themselves known. His health is failing, but his imagination seems to know no bounds. A childhood memory seems determined to haunt him and the image of a young boy begins to follow him around until finally he feels his only option is to tunnel back to the very source.

Adapted from Mick Jackson’s Booker shortlisted novel this ajtc Nottingham Playhouse co-production melds the best of both innovative companies in a free-flowing, innovative performance that features live music and a specially commissioned score.

The Underground Man is a delectable blend of fact and fiction in which the intriguing details of a complex life are richly explored through the vibrant imagination of a gentle soul.

A journey, with a Gothic twist, through the curious tunnels of a Victorian mind.