The Kings Head Theatre continues its legacy of groundbreaking LGBTQ+ theatre with the revival of Jake Brunger’s FOUR PLAY, a sharp, witty exploration of modern queer relationships that feels remarkably relevant in 2025, despite being written a decade ago. In two exclusive interviews for Queerly’s Stage and Screen Podcast, I sat down with the FOUR PLAY cast to discuss the show, their characters, and what audiences can expect from this intimate production.
“It looks at queer relationships today,” explains Lewis Cornay, who plays Rafe. “Rafe and Pete have been together for seven years and they’re looking at what they can do to make sure their relationship sustains into the future. They’ve come up with the idea that they’re going to propose to their friend, Michael, that individually they should sleep with him to kind of get it out of their systems.”
Daniel Bravo, who plays Michael, adds: “It looks at monogamy, open relationships, what it means to be a queer person in Britain today. My character is in an open relationship and gets probably more out of the open relationship than his partner.” The premise sets up a fascinating exploration of desire, jealousy, and the complexities of long-term relationships. Zheng Xi Yong, who plays Pete, describes his character as “very much in a state of discovery” who “wants to explore his sexuality and sexual desires” while still loving his partner deeply.
For several cast members, FOUR PLAY represents a shift from larger productions to the intimate setting of the Kings Head Theatre. Daniel Bravo recently finished a year-long run as Aaron Samuels in ‘Mean Girls’ in the West End. “It’s a lovely transition,” Daniel shares. “It feels like a really nice, next natural step for me to have something that is a bit more intimate, where you really feel the audience there with you. At The Savoy, it was very easy to kind of forget that there was anyone there because when you’re on a huge West End stage and the lights are on, you often can’t really see them. Whereas at the King’s Head, we’re walking past people, we’re looking them right in the face.” He also teases: “There is elements of workouts and gym stuff that make their way into the production, which is something you should all look forward to.”
For Lewis Cornay, who recently performed in ‘The History Boys’, FOUR PLAY presents a different kind of challenge. “I’ve never played a character that’s anywhere near my age,” he admits. “It’s quite a lot to learn how to be my actual age on stage.” When I read the script before we met, I found it really funny and I found it almost alarmingly relatable. I think the way that Jake writes the specifics, the specific references that he uses for the characters give such a clear indication to an audience or an actor on exactly who this person is. And so when I was reading it, I was like, I feel personally victimised and attacked by the way this character is talking, because I feel like I know exactly who he is.”
Jo Foster, who plays Andy, brings a wealth of experience from their acclaimed performance in ‘Why Am I So Single’ – a show that gained tremendous momentum on social media. “Why Am I So Single was almost two years of my life,” Jo reflects. “To be in a show and to have your momentum and just feel like you’re going on stage and you’re just giving it all every night, and then back to a rehearsal room where you’re finding it from scratch, it’s really contrasting.” Jo’s character in FOUR PLAY represents a different stage of the queer experience: “[When compared to Oliver]… This character is so far beyond that and they’re so secure in who they are. I guess the contrast with Why I’m So Single is that the character Oliver literally was just at the start and was not even ready to meet or accept the things that were being spoken about.”
One of the most refreshing aspects of FOUR PLAY is how it presents diverse queer characters without falling into stereotypes. “In this production, it’s really lovely to see four completely different kinds of queer people represented,” Daniel points out. “We’ve got Jo Foster, who is non-binary and also their character in the show is non-binary as well. I just think all four of us represent a type of queer person. Cause often that’s the case – you’ll get like the one sassy, gay best friend in something. I think it’s nice when you get something where every character is queer, because it means that you have to write them all differently.”
Lewis adds that the play “is really good at not giving really an opinion either way” about open relationships. “It’s up to the audience to kind of go, ‘Oh, okay, so an open relationship can work for some people, it might not work for others.’ Sometimes we’re told just that an open relationship is a good thing or just it’s a bad thing. And this lives in the middle, which is quite interesting to play.”
The cast also reflected on how portrayals of queer relationships have evolved in theatre. “One of the biggest things is that I think we’re slowly moving away from every queer story that’s being told has to be based around some sort of trauma,” Daniel observes. “Growing up, I never really watched any queer theatre or TV that at the heart of it wasn’t about death, the AIDS epidemic, just queer trauma generally.” Lewis agrees: “I think we are coming to a point now where we are seeing more of a celebration of the complexities of queer life.”
FOUR PLAY marks an important moment in queer theatre at a venue with a rich history of LGBTQ+ productions. Jo Foster emphasises the significance: “It’s such an honour. I think this is the perfect place to do it. This is what producers need to do more of and invest in these projects that speak to and tell stories of marginalised groups.”
What do they hope audiences will take away from the show? Lewis hopes people will recognize the complexity of the characters: “I’d love people to leave and be like, ‘Oh, that character, I thought this about at the beginning, but looking at it at the end now, maybe both things can be true. They can make mistakes, but also still be a good person.'” Daniel adds: “I want people to walk away being like, ‘Would I be happier if I tried this?’ or ‘I have tried this and actually I’m not happy.’ Just for people to ask questions to themselves about the way they love other people.”
FOUR PLAY runs at the Kings Head Theatre from 11 Jul to 17 Aug 2025. For tickets and more information, visit kingsheadtheatre.com.
To hear the full interviews with the cast, tune into Queerly’s Stage and Screen Podcast, available on all major podcast platforms.