“Richard used to be on Top of the World, to the left of (and slightly behind) Karen. Now he’s coming back with a vengeance, only to find that it’s not exactly Yesterday, Once More. In a world where Rainy Days and Mondays collide, one man’s Solitairy journey to find himself has Only Just Begun.”
A play about being stuck behind the piano, written and performed by MFJ.
Richard Carpenter is Close to You previewed in Brighton (Otherplace), Oxford (Old Fire Station), Buxton (Underground) and Bristol (Wardrobe Theatre), before opening at the Edinburgh Fringe (Underbelly) in August 2017 for a month’s sell-out run.
The international première took place in Australia in June 2018, playing in Adelaide (Festival Centre) and Melbourne (Butterfly Club).
The show transferred to London (Bloomsbury Theatre) in October 2018, followed by an 18-date UK tour.
“Edinburgh Festival 2017: What to see and where to go”
The Guardian
“What are the best shows of the Edinburgh Fringe 2017?”
The Stage
“Interview: Matthew Floyd Jones”
Theatre Weekly
“Richard Carpenter is Close to You”
Three Weeks
“Q&A: Richard Carpenter is Close to You”
Broadway World
“Achieves something rare… with a hugely commendable lightness of touch”
★★★★★ Reviews Hub
“Exceptional… probably the most impressive performance I’ve seen at the Fringe”
★★★★½ Edinburgh Culture Review
“Delightfully on the money… [a] stroke of genius”
★★★★ The Times
“The pastiche musical numbers are meticulously constructed, as you might expect, but the bittersweet comedy narrative is priceless”
★★★★ The Stage
“Joyfully waves a flag for those forgotten heroes”
★★★★ The List
“One of a kind”
★★★★ Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
“Perfectly rendered… a Superstar”
★★★★ Broadway Baby
“Hilarious… superb”
★★★★ FringeGuru
“Sublime… comedy gold… brings the house down”
★★★★ Talk Dramaturgy to Me
“A master of parody… clever and smart”
★★★★ Theatre Bubble
“Ingenious… one of the best shows I’ve seen”
Australian Arts Review
“An hilarious, heartfelt, layered, silly, and considered masterwork”
HiFi Way
“Well-written and slickly performed, intelligent, sophisticated and never obvious”
Bristol 24/7
“A compelling showman”
Ed Fringe Review
“An excellent performer”
Fest
“Wonderful characterisation”
Melbourne Observer
“You’ll either love it or hate it”
Daily Mail
“It’s a show about unmet expectations... [combining] the expert pop pastiche that MFJ and Laura Corcoran delivered as Frisky & Mannish with the more uncanny and unnerving neurotic introspection that has marked Floyd Jones’s recent solo projects. The result is powerful, entertaining and empowering, and bloody funny.”
Ben Walters, Not Television
☆ Winner, Buxton Fringe Award for Best New Writing
Dramaturgy by Charlotte Gittins. Produced by Samuel Nunn for RBM & Carrie Hardie for Serious Comedy. Lighting design by David Doyle. Sound mixing: Baz Hilton, James Pickering. Costume by Traipsy Drake. Musical consultation: Victoria Falconer. Technician: Shane Gill. Press representation: Madelaine Bennett for Premier. Images & artwork by Steve Ullathorne, Mark Dawson, Edward Moore, Tricia Yourkevich for BBC, Dominic Moriarty & Alli Burke, featuring Alison Thea-Skot.