‘Biblical themes abound’ – Jonah Non Grata at the Hen and Chickens

Simon Kane in Jonah Non Grata. Photograph: courtesy of Gingerbread Agency

A few lucky souls caught Jonah Non Grata on 19 July ahead of its Edinburgh Fringe appearance.

Simon Kane’s one man show, staged briefly at the Hen and Chickens in Highbury, is a virtually indescribable cacophony of humour and found language, with plenty of audience participation thrown in.

A cross between theatre of the absurd and stand-up, the event started with Kane rolling on stage in a plastic bag, and it got weirder from there.

A super-thin plotline based vaguely on the Book of Jonah presents as a series of recurring motifs which layer meaning on meaning over the course of the hour-long performance.

Biblical themes abound, but also hilariously incongruous snippets of popular culture and much zany improv.

Such was the convention-bending nature of the drama that you got the sense that anything could happen.

If you happen to be up in Edinburgh for the Fringe this summer, be sure not to miss this captivating five-star-quality production.

Jonah Non Grata was staged on 19 July 2025 at the Hen and Chickens Theatre Bar, St Paul’s Road, N1 2NA