WONDER DRUG: A Comedy about Cystic Fibrosis - written & performed by Charlie Merriman Charlie Merriman 2024-08-30 | Age Recommendation: 12+. Content Warning: This show contains strong language and distressing or potentially triggering themes surrounding mental and physical health including OCD tendencies, medical equipment, notions of transplants, mimed injections and life expectancy. Filmed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 (Pleasance Courtyard, Upstairs).-Charlie has cystic fibrosis, a condition that causes a build-up of mucus. Lovely. But with a new girlfriend and a 'Wonder Drug' called Kaftrio coming soon, what can stop him now?"How about an E. coli infection?" says the universe. "Oh, and a pandemic brought about by a virus you're vulnerable to.""Balls", says Charlie.Join Charlie Merriman for a rollicking course of intravenous antibiotics set to 80s bangers in his debut one-man show! Come meet the bugs he's had and the drugs that treat them as he takes a fresh look at the relationship between physical & mental health.Will the government follow their own lockdown guidelines (spoiler: no)? Will Charlie resist the thrill of daytime TV (spoiler: no)? And will the dashing new Wonder Drug save the day (no spoilers)?-Writer/Performer - Charlie MerrimanDirector - Helen EastmanComposer/Sound Designer - Alex SilvermanAssociate Director - Sam RaynerDesigner - Mollie CheekStage Manager - Hannah McGeoughLighting Designer - Catja HamiltonProducer - Live CanonFilming, Editing & Subtitles - Late Cut MediaVoice of Dr Haddad - Simone McIntyreVoice of the Announcer - Jason ForbesThumbnail photograph captured & edited by Kazim GhafoorCharlie Merriman trained at LAMDA and is a graduate of Cambridge University. Acting credits include Howard in Colour (Short Film, Raunkiaer Films, 2023) and Helenus in Cassandra (Rehearsed Reading, Ukrainian Institute London, 2022). Writing credits include the immersive tour of Boston Manor House in West London. Charlie has the medical condition cystic fibrosis, which is sorely underrepresented on stage and screen; he is thrilled to present his debut one-man show WONDER DRUG: A Comedy about Cystic Fibrosis. Online CV: spotlight.com/3810-5610-5139Charlie is also an esports host & commentator for The Pokémon Company International. He hosts his own Pokémon podcast and has a dedicated YouTube channel (@Chazingdra across all socials): youtube.com/@ChazingdraFeaturing the songs: 20/20 - George Benson, written by Randy Goodrum & Steve Kipner (Warner Bros.)Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac, written by Christine McVie (Warner Bros.)When The Going Gets Tough - Billy Ocean, written by Wayne Brathwaite, Barry Eastmond, Mutt Lange & Billy Ocean (Jive)-Sarah's 80s Playlist: open.spotify.com/playlist/6W0YhIDuon5I9S2MZff9Vn'The Heptameron' - the short film about the plague on the set of which Sarah & I met shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic: youtube.com/watch?v=d_OByeieaos&t=583sCystic Fibrosis Trust website: cysticfibrosis.org.ukPeople with CF experience a build-up of sticky mucus in the lungs, digestive system and other organs, causing a wide range of symptoms affecting the entire body. The condition affects more than 11,000 people in the UK & around 100,000 people globally. To learn more, please visit the website of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust above, a charity working towards a brighter future for everyone with CF.A special thank you to everyone who contributed to the fundraiser and brought the show to life. It means the world.-★★★★★ ‘Wondrous’ - Three Weeks★★★★★ ‘An absolute gem of a show’ - Broadway World★★★★★ ‘TED Talk meets stand-up gig meets quick-change show… Brilliantly unique’ - Liam O’Dell★★★★★ ‘The kind of theatre that makes us grateful to be alive’ - The PrickleBroadway World Top 10 Theatre Pick of the FringeOffWestEnd Commendation Award & OffFest NominationShortlisted for Neurodiverse Review’s Exceptional Theatre and Emerging Actor AwardsVAULT Festival 2023 Sell-Out ShowRecommended by Adam Hills (The Last Leg)
