The Law of Mayhem

The Law of Mayhem at Wilton’s Music Hall

Proteus presents The Law of Mayhem, a new play by acclaimed writer Tabby Lamb, at Wilton’s Music Hall in east London from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 April 2027. Award-winning Basingstoke theatre company Proteus and Lamb bring the extraordinary lives of trans trailblazers Michael Dillon and Roberta Cowell to the stage, using circus as a physical vocabulary.

The story

“It’s extraordinary, isn’t it? That we should find each other.” The year is 1949, and Roberta Cowell (racing driver, RAF pilot and ‘It’ girl) meets Michael Dillon, a ship’s doctor who pursued Buddhism into the high Himalayas. Together they will change the course of British transgender history. Yet after just three short years, they never speak again.

Separated by time and space, Michael and Roberta meet for one last impossible encounter, to find out if the thing that brought them together was the same thing that broke them apart: the law of mayhem.

Circus, history and heart

Wilton’s describes the show as joyful, uplifting and full of heart. Through circus, The Law of Mayhem tells the story of two lives, inextricably entwined, that made their mark in history and forged a path for generations to come.

Creative team

The play is written by Tabby Lamb and directed by Amber Sinclair-Case for Proteus, developed by Jo Tyabji, with Mary Swan as creative director and Daniela Essart as movement director. Scenography is by Miriam Nabarro, lighting design by Jodie Underwood and sound design by Mwen, and the producer is Nick Sweeting. The cast for the Wilton’s run is to be announced.

Dates, times and running time

There are seven performances: evenings at 7pm from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 April 2027, plus matinees at 2pm on Thursday 22 and Saturday 24 April. The running time is 1 hour 50 minutes, including an interval. Age guidance is to be announced.