The Highgate Vampire at The Cockpit Theatre
If you love your theatre dark, ridiculous, and rooted in real-life weirdness, The Highgate Vampire at The Cockpit Theatre should be firmly on your radar.
Running from 28 January to 1 February 2026, this sharp, satirical comedy takes one of London’s strangest urban legends — the infamous vampire sightings at Highgate Cemetery — and gleefully tears it apart with gothic humour, absurd storytelling, and more than a few raised eyebrows.
Written and performed by James Demaine and Alexander Knott, and directed by Ryan Hutton, this is the kind of show that knows exactly how bonkers its source material is… and leans into it fully.
Why The Highgate Vampire Is Worth Seeing
- 🦇 It’s based on a true story (yes, really) — complete with media panic and amateur vampire hunters
- 🎭 Two performers doing a LOT — Demaine and Knott bounce off each other brilliantly
- 🕯 Dark comedy done right — absurd, smart, and knowingly theatrical
- 🔮 A séance. Original music. A “scientific lecture.” No notes.
If The Mighty Boosh, Matt Berry, and Monty Python sit comfortably in your cultural wheelhouse, this will absolutely be your thing.
What’s It Actually About?
Set against the backdrop of 1970s London, The Highgate Vampire retells the outrageously true events surrounding supposed vampire sightings in Highgate Cemetery — a saga that led to real-life mobs storming the grounds, armed with stakes and wild theories.
The story unfolds as a mock scientific lecture on vampire hunting, following an uneasy partnership between a demon-hunting Priest and his sworn enemy: a tobacconist by day, undead vanquisher by night. It’s part gothic horror, part parody, and completely unapologetic about how strange it gets.
Expect absurd re-enactments, original music, and a retro gothic vibe that feels lovingly unhinged.
A Special Moment for the Show
After previous runs at The Glitch (May 2025) and Omnibus Theatre (December 2025), the production arrives at The Cockpit Theatre as the inaugural Stephen Joseph Transfer — giving the company a full week to develop and perform the show in the round.
It’s intimate, immediate, and exactly the right setting for a story that thrives on chaos.
Cast & Creative Team
- Written & Performed by: James Demaine & Alexander Knott
- Directed by: Ryan Hutton
- Produced by: Zöe Grain
- Sound Design & Original Music: Samuel Heron
Cast
- Farringdon – James Demaine
- Sheffield – Alexander Knott
When, Where & Tickets
📍 Venue: The Cockpit Theatre
🗓 Dates: 28 January – 1 February 2026
⏰ Times: Wed–Sun 7:30 pm | Sat–Sun 2:30 pm matinees
⏱ Running Time: 70 minutes (no interval)
🎟 Tickets: £15 / £13 concessions
👻 Age Guidance: 13+
🩸 Press welcome on all dates
🎫 Tickets & info: https://www.thecockpit.org.uk
Why It’s a Yes From Me
The Highgate Vampire is exactly the kind of theatre I love championing, clever without being smug, spooky without taking itself too seriously, and rooted in one of those “how did this actually happen?” moments of British history.
If you’re into gothic folklore, dark comedy, and theatre that embraces the strange, this one’s well worth your time.
🦇 Short run, cult energy. Book before it disappears into legend.
