The Flea
Can something as minuscule as a flea really change the course of one family’s history? Well, according to James Fritz’s new dramatisation of the 1889 investigation into thefts at the London Telegraph Offices… maybe. The sequence of events is ignited when 15-year-old Charlie is left desperate for money. His father was clobbered in the head by a pantomime horse spooked by a flea-bitten rat and left for dead (NB yes, a pantomime horse, no that bit didn't really happen). With Jack the Ripper’s memory fresh in her head, Charlie’s mother lives in fear of being thrown out onto the streets. But no worry is needed, little Charlie is here to save the day. For a while, that is. Fritz’s satire is a tragedy waiting to explode. Charlie (played with doe-eyed innocence by Séamus McClean Ross) starts to bring home the pennies after being convinced to work for a male brothel. His mother asks no questions, she’s just happy to have the means to survive. But soon, an inquiry starts to swirl involving the King-to-be, a maggot and a treasure trove of secrets after Charlie is found with 14 shillings in his work locker. Arrested and questioned, Charlie reveals how he’s really been sourcing his funds. Fritz - certainly one the most boundary-pushing playwrights of today, then contorts his script into the most satisfying of whodunits. Suspects are introduced in a jolty dance sequence, accompanied by mugshots. Spotlights are used to enhance the presence of new clues. It is down to the famed detective (a