Richard Marsh
Writer, rhymer, talker
Writer of film, TV, theatre, and to-do lists. CEO of the MCU (Marsh Connected Universe). I will rhyme for money (write poems on commission).
Currently touring Yippee Ki Yay - Die Hard as an epic comic poem - which heads to the USA (and Newcastle) this winter. All dates and details here.
More on past shows here.
YIPPEE KI YAY (now AWARD-WINNING!)
Following our Albert Hall show in front of Die Hard co-screenwriter, Steven E. de Souza, we tour North America November to January - dates going up here as they go on sale. I'm performing most shows, sharing the role with Darrel Bailey. We're back in the UK in 2025 - watch this space for more news of this AWARD-WINNING show (best comedy in the London pub theatre awards).
High above Los Angeles, terrorists have seized a skyscraper, capturing everyone inside. Everyone? Not quite. One man managed to escape – an off-duty poet. A poet with a badge. He’s outnumbered, outgunned – and the hostages’ only hope.
RECOMMENDED / CRITICS CHOICE in: The Guardian, Time Out, The Stage, The Telegraph, The Times, the i, Times Radio, Lyn Gardner on StageDoor, The Sunday Times, British Comedy Guide, Reader's Digest, London Pub Theatres. Off West-End pick of the year in Broadway World. Yippee Ki Yay was also featured in The New York Times and on Sky News.
OFFIE-NOMINATED for lead performance in a play and director of a play for Hal and Emma.
London run recommended by The Times (hot list, December 9th, 'a sparkling 70-minute show'), Reader's Digest, British Comedy Guide.
Reviews for the London run:
★★★★ in The Times
'this Die Hard with rhymes is epically entertaining... with this level of panache, wit, insight and — unexpectedly — tenderness.'
★★★★★ in Broadway World
'Beg, borrow or crawl through rat-infested air ducts for a ticket to this brilliant parody of Die Hard.'
★★★★ in Everything Theatre
'If you like your action movies with heart and your poetry smart, fast and funny, Yippee Ki Yay will prove a welcome treat this Christmas.'
★★★★ 1/2 in The Reviews Hub
'Demonstrating excellent physicality and comic timing throughout, the performer captivates his crowd. ... The show closes with rapturous and well-warranted applause.'
★★★★ in London Pub Theatres
‘It’s fast, it’s funny and it’s thoroughly absorbing.’
-- and we have been nominated for a London pub theatres Standing Ovation award.
At the Edinburgh fringe, the show was one of Time Out's theatre shows to see at Edinburgh, and in The Stage's and The Telegraph's best shows of the fringe lists. Reviews:
★★★★ in The Stage
'He nails Bruce Willis’ laconic one-liners and Alan-Rickman-as-Hans-Gruber’s deliciously dry manner.'
Very proud to be among their best shows of the year.
★★★★ in The Guardian
'This kinetic afternoon comedy never flags...guarantees happy trails.'
★★★★ in The Telegraph
' his storytelling chops are undeniable... You’d have to be as heartless as Hans Gruber not to be touched and uplifted by the sentimental (but Hollywood cliché-defying) ending.'
Proud to be among their best shows of the fringe.
★★★★ in The Mail on Sunday (link coming)
'the genius creation of action poet Richard Marsh.'
★★★★ in The Scottish Mail (link coming)
'Vest show in town... An exciting poetry dreamed gem... simply to Die Hard for.'
★★★★★ in The Courier
'A fantastic piece of theatre written and performed by Richard Marsh... an extraordinary one-man performance.'
★★★★ in The List
'Welcome to the party, pal!'
★★★★ in The Arts Desk
'What a lovely show this is... You don’t have to have seen the movie to enjoy this.'
★★★★ in British Theatre Guide
'A charming performance... rollicking fun.'
Not a full review, but RECOMMENDED by British Comedy Guide
'An absolutely glorious high-concept from poet Richard Marsh: his rhyming Bruce Willis is spot-on, but it's the concurrent love story that really pulls you in.'
Also: 'My favourite show of the whole Fringe... Great idea, great execution.'
Past shows
Skittles went on from Edinburgh to be commissioned for Radio 4 as Richard Marsh: Love & Sweets, and won Best Scripted Comedy at the BBC Audio Drama Awards. My poetry sitcom Cardboard Heart was recently repeated on Radio 4.
I co-wrote and co-performed Dirty Great Love Story with Katie Bonna, which won a Fringe First award for outstanding new writing at the Edinburgh fringe and ran in the West End.
Wingman played at the Edinburgh fringe, Soho Theatre and iO West in LA and is in development for TV with Big Talk / CBS Studios.
I'm working on a musical adaptation of Son of Rambow. Miranda Cooper, Nick Coler, Sam Hodges and I have spent several years adapting this brilliant film for the stage. A film that I love, and a process I have loved. We had a workshop production at The Other Palace and our song My First Ex-Boyfriend came second in the 2020 Stiles & Drewe prize.
Phoenix played at the Edinburgh fringe, Storyhouse Chester, Clapham Omnibus, the Old Fire Station, and New Wolsey theatres. I wrote the book and co-wrote songs with Jessica Sharman.
I'm a former London poetry slam champion and one of the Time Out Culture 100. I have since turned versenary - I write poems on commission.
I wrote some poems for Tango Moderno, which toured with ballroom legends Vincent & Flavia. My first musical was a coalition love story between Cameron and Clegg, Nicked, written with Tali Sheppard.
You can contact me here, or tweet me, or instagram, or sign up to my sporadic mailing list.
Photographers on this page: Richard Davenport, Beth Elliott, David Monteith-Hodge, Ellen Nolan, Rosemary Rance.
Dirty Great Love Story
Fringe First-winning play, co-written and co-performed with Katie Bonna
Can a one-night stand last a lifetime?
Two hopeful, hapless romantics can barely get breakfast – let alone get together.
In her eyes, he’s a mistake. A mistake who keeps turning up at parties. In his eyes, she’s perfect. He’s short-sighted. An achingly funny on-off love story of good intentions and bad timing.
Trailer below. The script is available here.
The show recently ran in the West End, starring Ayesha Antoine and Felix Scott.
More on the (OLD) show here
Katie and I began writing together due to both living in Tooting and a shared love of love stories. But mostly because we both lived in Tooting.
The show began as a ten-minute experiment in a pub in Balham, then grew via the Nursery, Vault and Pulse festivals, then via BAC and Latitude, to a full play that won a Fringe First at the Pleasance.
Directed by Pia Furtado, and produced by Polly Ingham, it transferred to Bristol Old Vic, Soho Theatre and 59E59 Theatres, NYC.
Cardboard Heart
Poetry sitcom on Radio 4
Cardboard Heart
A poetry sitcom set in a greetings card company. We were lucky enough to get an amazing cast: Phil Daniels, Olivia Poulet, Jemima Rooper, Rebecca Scroggs, Russell Tovey, Sam Troughton - and me. Directed by Pia Furtado, produced by Ben Worsfield. Theme tune is Hackney Colliery Band's amazing version of Lianne La Havas' tune 'Is Your Love Big Enough.'
Love & Sweets / Skittles
Poetic comedic playic story about love, and sweets (which are more reliable). It won Best Scripted Comedy at the BBC Audio Drama Awards.
A story about love (and sweets, which are more reliable).
Theatre / poetry / storytelling show Skittles began life as a scratch at BAC, directed by Tim Roseman. Tim and I developed it there, then Dan Coleman took over as director and we took the show to the Nursery and Pulse festivals before heading to the Pleasance for the Edinburgh fringe. It was commissioned by Radio 4 for a 4 x 15' radio series, produced by Ben Worsfield. Retitled Richard Marsh: Love & Sweets, it won Best Scripted Comedy at the BBC Audio Drama Awards.
More on the show here.
Wingman
Father-son poetry play, co-starring Jerome Wright, directed by Justin Audibert
Mum’s dead. Annoyingly, dad’s not.
After twenty years apart, can father and son say goodbye to mum without saying hello to each other? This achingly funny story reminds us: no matter how bad life is, family can make it worse.
More detail on the show here
Wingman co-starred Jerome Wright, was directed by Justin Audibert and produced by Tim Johanson.
More on the show here. Trailer below.
I'm developing it for TV with Big Talk.
Phoenix
I wrote THIS with Jess Sharman. ANDY GALLO ARRANGED AND STARRED, Lucy Jane Atkinson directED.
Ash is the ultimate one-man band: guitarist, pianist, drummer... and dad. But it’s hard to reach stardom when you're constantly walking on Lego.
Reviews: ★ ★ ★ ★ The Scotsman, ★ ★ ★ ★ Must-See Show The Telegraph, ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Glasgow Theatre Blog, ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Mind The Blog, ★ ★ ★ ★ Ed Fest and ★ ★ ★ ★ in The Skinny.
Teaser trailer HERE.
Watch
Me and some proper actors perform plays, poems and songs
Theatre - Dirty Great Love Story
Co-written and co-performed with Katie Bonna. Directed by Pia Furtado. Script available here.
Theatre - Wingman
Starring Jerome Wright. Directed by Justin Audibert. Script available here (along with Skittles).
Lyrics - Tinderbox
From the Coalition musical love story Nicked. Music by Tali Sheppard. Directed by Pia Furtado. Feat. Cameron, Clegg & Miliband, aka Sam Hodges, Jason Langley & Ross Green.
Commissions
And bookings
I can write poems for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas parties... and weddings. That couple above? Did their whole ceremony. They're still very happily together several years on. When I marry you, you stay married. They've even had kids. Though I can't really take credit for that.
If you'd like to know more about commissioning me or booking me for an event, please get in touch.
Get in touch
I'd love to hear from you. (Depending on what you have to say).
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(Photo: Jason Langley as Nick Clegg in Nicked).
© 2015