Gawain and the Green Knight, written by Felix Grainger and Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson and directed by Kelly Ann Stewart, is currently playing at Park Theatre in Finsbury Park. Performed by a four person cast led by Grainger, Cara Steele, Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson, and Laura Pujos, the production relocates the medieval legend to a contemporary office setting. The story begins at a cyber security company’s Christmas party, where enforced cheer, awkward hierarchies, and quiet ambition replace feasts and round tables. There is something immediately satisfying about watching such an old story unfold in a space that feels so familiar.

This version finds its strength in contrast rather than scale. Filing cabinets become battlements, the central elevator takes on the weight of a castle gate, and the office tannoy slips easily into the role of an all knowing narrator. The humour grows out of recognition, from the way corporate language borrows the tone of honour and duty, and how quickly ordinary routines are treated as epic tests of character. The laughs arrive naturally and often, without the need to underline them.

Felix Grainger plays Gawain with a deliberate sense of restraint, resisting the temptation to push the character into exaggerated heroism. His Gawain wants to be noticed more than admired, and that quiet need gives the story emotional clarity. Cara Steele brings sharp focus to Arthur, balancing authority with absurdity, while Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson’s control of timing and physicality keeps the energy buoyant. Laura Pujos offers warmth and sincerity, especially in moments where the comedy briefly steps aside and something more fragile comes into view.

Kelly Ann Stewart’s direction keeps the piece moving with confidence, allowing scenes to flip between office life and mythic encounters without confusion. The production never feels cluttered, even as the cast constantly shifts roles, and the sense of play remains intact throughout. While the action elements of the quest could feel more forceful at times, the show benefits from not overreaching, choosing clarity and tone over spectacle.

The second half leans further into theatrical silliness and invention, occasionally sketching ideas more lightly than expected. Even so, the production knows where its heart lies. It is less concerned with retelling the legend faithfully than with asking what courage, loyalty, and boredom look like in modern working life. By the end, the story resolves with ease, leaving behind a gentle sense of satisfaction rather than grand revelation.

Gawain and the Green Knight succeeds because it understands its limits and plays within them intelligently. It is consistently funny, well directed, and refreshingly uninterested in overstatement. You leave entertained, slightly amused by your own workplace habits, and reminded that even the most ordinary settings can carry unexpected meaning.

Gawain and the Green Knight runs at Park Theatre in Finsbury Park from 25 November to 24 December 2025, presented in the Park90 space.

Tickets are available directly through the Park Theatre website, with performances running throughout the Christmas period.

The production is written by Felix Grainger and Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson and directed by Kelly Ann Stewart. The cast includes Felix Grainger as Gawain, Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson as Lance and the Green Knight, Cara Steele as Arthur and the Dryad, Laura Pujos as Gwynne and Hetty, with Shaun Chambers as the voice of Merlin. The creative team features Simon Nicholas as set designer, Caitlin MacGregor as lighting designer and stage manager, Kezia Tomsett as composer and sound designer, and Ciéranne Kennedy-Bell as costume designer.