Silo Theatre’s Marathon is a comedic retelling of the marathon event during the 1904 Olympic Games in St Louis. Written by Nic Sampson, the play tells the story of Thomas Hicks (Chris Parker), a young Englishman desperate for glory who enters the classic race of the third Olympiad. He’s up against a range of athletes of various physical capabilities and Olympic officials who are, shall we say, on the shady side.
This is a very funny play with plenty of gags, pratfalls, and slapstick. The cast are terrific and bounce off each other extremely well. They are also very fit, which is just as well as the set and story requirements involve charging around the main stage, running up a hill and using a couple of slides as well as circling the gods area of the theatre. This is literally physical comedy at its best.
All of the cast, except Parker, play various characters including Alice Lee Roosevelt (Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter), Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the modern Olympics), and several entrants including Fred Lorz and Andarín Carvajal.
Parker is very good as Hicks and makes the character very likeable despite his obsessive desire to win. Parker also delivers a very creditable English accent.
It is fair to say that on the surface this production is a surreal farce. The runners are clearly not trained, Hicks is given strychnine to keep him alert, Carvajal takes a nap during the race, and Lorz was driven most of the way. It’s all delightfully silly and irreverent.
But here’s the thing – those things, and more, happened in real life. The 1904 marathon was a disorganised mess and it is a surprise that no one actually died.
What this production does is create a very funny take on something that must have been a living hell for those involved in the original marathon. And the show had some wonderful moments – a rather touching opening ceremony featuring Kura Forrester singing World in Union while wearing a massive white gown, and a very cool saloon scene with real piano playing and great dancing. The athletic moments were brilliantly choreographed and, to end the show, a parade of placards with pictures of the real people behind this tale was quite emotional.
Marathon was a crazy, triumphant, and very funny play where art imitated real life.
MARATHON
12 November – 6 December 2026