Breathless. Sweaty. Hunched over and losing it. The crowd goes wild. It’s St. Louis, 1904, and the Olympic Games are still figuring out what the heck they’re doing. Thirty-two athletes get set at the start line. Drawn by the promise of glory, redemption and a medal awarded by the First Daughter, Alice Roosevelt, they have no earthly idea what they’ve signed up for. What follows is a perfect storm of incompetence, stupidity, betrayal, cheating, wild dogs and rat poison.
Silo Theatre’s end-of-year comedic offerings are often a must in Tāmaki Makaurau’s theatre calendar, and MARATHON - Comedian and Writer Nic Sampson’s mainstage debut, directed by Ben Crowder - certainly does not disappoint.
The year is 1904 (often reiterated with comedic effect by various characters throughout the play), the place is St Louis, Missouri, and the event at hand is the first modern Olympic Marathon. Crowder’s director's note advises that “What transpired was utter chaos and mayhem.”, and Sampson’s writer's note reminds us that “The story has grown, but the actual events of the race are more or less as they happened”, proving yet again that truth can really be stranger than fiction.
Crowder writes in his Director’s note, “there has been an enormous amount of ridiculous behaviour, courage, laughter and positivity in the room”, and this energy has clearly been brought onstage by its cast and crew. The fact that this play has been developed from Sampson’s critically acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe one-man-show ‘Marathon 1904’ proves that Sampson is wonderfully adept at writing for an ensemble cast. The dialogue is clear and immediately provides the cast with ample opportunities to stretch their comedic legs, while keeping the audience fully informed. Unlike some of the characters, the audience will certainly not be lost in the fast-paced action of the play, but will instead be encouraged to keep up with the pace of it.
Steffany Silva Delautour, Brynley Stent, Chris Parker, and Brayden Cresswell in MARATHON (credit Andi Crown)
Chris Parker stars as MARATHON’s lead Tom Hicks, a working-class Englishman with dreams of emulating the ancient Greek hero Pheidippides who ran 26 miles between Sparta and Athens before the Battle of Marathon. Portraying an excellent Brummy (Birmingham) accent throughout, Parker’s comedic chops are riotously pushed to their physical limits - this is a play about a race after all. Parker’s physicality and complete commitment as our serious protagonist brilliantly shows a man with a one-track-mind, a hero you are desperate to see achieve his dreams.
Brynley Stent stars in multiple roles, but shines as the historic Alice Roosevelt, the daughter of United States President Theodore Roosevelt with a reputation for breaking the social norms laid out for young women of her era. Stent portrays the tenacity and doggedness of Alice effortlessly, bringing an iconic female figure to life with excellent comedic timing in the delivery of lines which point out the ridiculous constraints of her gender with a modern insinuation.
Brayden Cresswell too jumps between characters where the script requires it, but predominantly plays opposite Parker’s Tom as fellow runner Fred Lorz. A wonderful caricature of an American rake of the era, Cresswell has a charismatic stage presence, and shows a willingness to push his performance to the limit.
Stefanny Silva-Delautour moves between various historical figures with ease and wonderful physicality, allowing the audience to suspend their disbelief as she abruptly quick-changes across the spectrum of age and gender, never missing a beat.
Brett O’Gorman in MARATHON (credit Andi Crown)
Brett O’Gorman too shows a natural ability to produce memorable characters with physicality and voice, often left holding the stage himself between scenes of chaos, and providing joyful engagement with the audience in character alongside delightful displays of musical puppeteering performance, which pushes joyful moments of subplot to the fore.
Kura Forrester is set to the task of playing a wide variety of characters as a part of the ensemble, who are often pushing the play narratively, and literally, in the right direction. While Parker provides a strong and well honed lead, Forrester capably steals every scene she appears in- to see such wonderful skill in comic timing, ad-libbing with audience interaction, and clowning in a secondary character completes this farcical cast.
Kura Forrester in MARATHON (credit Andi Crown)
An unofficial theme for Silo Theatre’s 2026 season could be ‘exploring theatre in the round’: with A View from the Bridge and Playfight both staged fully in the round, Constellations in Traverse, and JOB in short thrust (on three sides). MARATHON has pulled Rangatira at Q Theatre into long traverse, immediately setting the scene for the audience. With the prime viewing ‘sections’ on the floor of the theatre aptly named after each performer, audiences will have a hard time choosing whether to sit in the ‘Chris Parker Splash Zone’ or ‘Brynley Stent Memorial Stand’ à la the long-standing sports stadium convention.
(credit iTICKET)
(credit Andi Crown)
This set and staging layout is a spectacle to behold - and worth seeing to be believed. Without giving any delightful surprises away, Q Rangatira is used to its fullest; this creative team have incorporated the surrounding catwalks and transformed passageways of the Balcony and Gods, both used as backstage areas and performance spaces- no doubt meticulously choreographed by Lara Fischel-Chisolm, with the number of entrances and exits on-stage exceeding each finger on both hands. The audience’s eyes are pulled to all corners of the theatre space to catch every hysterical moment of the action.
Crowder’s reputation as Creative Director with Nightsong precedes him; this stylistic touch is evident in directorial choices, and certainly adds to the theatrical spectacle this story deserves. The opening sequence is a sensationalistic tribute to the Olympic Games spectacles we come to expect from the games (Sports New Zealand should consider keeping Forrester on retainer), however it is clear from the moment the show opens that this ensemble cast have been heavily involved in the making of this show, of their characters. Crowder has clearly trusted his cast with their abilities as comedic actors, and guided them to shape this raucous romp of Olympic proportions.
Brett O’Gorman and Brayden Cresswell in MARATHON (credit Andi Crown)
Costume Design by Christopher Stratton has a very important role in MARATHON; while the audience would expect period-accurate design, Stratton has produced practical pieces which push the comedy of the scene further. With cast racing to quick-changes for multiple characters, and show-stopping reveals (a comedic farce can never have enough tear-away costumes), Stratton and the stage management crew allow members of the ensemble to play a host of characters, filling the world of MARATHON with unforgettable moments of delight and awe. Puppets created by Paul Lewis and Jon Coddington assist to further fill out the world, again matching the stylistic design of the overall world of the play, and allowing this cast operating them to have immense amounts of fun with these puppets onstage.
With Set Design by Daniel Williams, Stage Management by Chiara Nicollini, and Production Management by Spencer Earwalker, this cohesive style is reflected in the production design. Large practical set pieces from Williams are simple, yet absolutely firmly ground the play in the time it is set. While some moving set and props pieces are obviously aided by modern technologies, this cross-polination is not shied away from in the slightest; like the cast around them, the set and props are costumed to appear like the historic technology they are playing, and the hilarious use of modern theatre techniques aids pushes the joke that step further.
Lighting Design by Sean Lynch is the cherry on top of the set and stage-layout choices from this team, lighting up nooks and crannys that are often hidden from the audience’s attention in this theatre, and building the environments around the action on stage. Leon Radojkovic’s Sound Design is grand, joyful, and fully within the world of 1904. As a longtime-collaborator with Silo Theatre, Radojkovic’s style is matched perfectly with Crowder’s vision for this comedy, with moments for the cast to play with practical elements they are able to play with.
The cast of MARATHON (credit Andi Crown)
If MARATHON is fueled by a whirlwind direction and sensationalist production design, then it is driven at its core by its ensemble cast - they are ultimately in control of the show’s progression, and at times feel as if they too are racing to keep up with the action. While a couple of technical mishaps occurred at the Opening Night performance, the cast took them in stride, turning an error into an unexpected joke and reminding the audience that you don't have to take things too seriously. The inclusion of a ‘celebrity guest’ appearance by Tom Sainsbury was chaotic and possibly a little distracting for audiences seated in certain parts of the front row; however, this longstanding tradition of celebrity guests for Silo Theatre comedies never fails to delight.
MARATHON must be seen to be believed - the cohesive production design elements wrap around a skilful ensemble cast, who bring Sampson’s hilarious script to life. A rip-roaring, raucous, chaotic romp of a show with moments of blink and you’ll miss it, walk into MARATHON fully-hydrated and ready to laugh until you cry; this New Zealand-made sensation is a race to the finish, and you absolutely should come along for the ride.
Marathon is being performed at Auckland’s Q Theatre from 12 November – 6 December 2026. Purchase tickets here
Review written by Charlie Underhill
