Last Updated on February 11, 2026
Bigotry in Business Challenged
Think of a satirical take on a big, morally dubious media conglomerate acquiring a reputable newspaper, and many will think of HBO’s Succession. The winner of every award available, Succession was so good that it now practically owns the genre of “media drama”. London Zoo, Farine Clarke’s play at the Southwark Playhouse in Borough, returning to South London after a run at the Bread & Roses Theatre in 2021, mirrors Succession in its attempt to create the Shakespearean drama of the media board room while also being a laugh-out-loud comedy. Unlike Succession, London Zoo cannot do both.
London Zoo, written and directed by Farine Clarke, is set in the office of a media conglomerate at the turn of the millennium, as it undergoes the major acquisition of a growing newspaper. CEO Sunil (Anirban Roy) is in favour of the acquisition but is against its publisher (Kelvin, played by Odimegwu Okoye) because he is black. Christian (Harris Vaughan), a caricature of a bigoted business bro, is the acquisition team leader, whose sexism is laid bare in his treatment of fellow company director Arabella (Natalie Lauren). Arabella is the play’s moral compass, fighting a futile battle against the racism, sexism, and unethical media strategy of the men around her. Her only ally is the powerless accountant Charlie (Simon Furness), who is gradually phased out as the younger, more ruthless businessmen take control.
At times, Clarke’s writing is funny, and at times it is hard-hitting. However, overall, London Zoo is tonally confused. In some scenes, it is clearly satirising difficult issues by caricaturing its characters and exaggerating its plot. In others, it is ostensibly a serious study of racism and sexism, with heartfelt monologues that address these issues head-on and without any comic obliqueness. Succession is both funny and dramatic, both satirical and serious, but its tone is consistent. The boardroom and the newsroom – homes of wordplay, social criticism, and witticisms – are ripe settings for this style. In its best moments, London Zoo achieves this theatrical concoction. At its worst, it veers over the edge of satire and falls into parody, or leans too far into sincerity and ends up at the polemical.
A comparison with Succession is unfair. London Zoo is engaging and, until the final scene, credible. The direction uses the space well – the stage is surrounded on three sides and the audience is almost inside the boardroom.
London Zoo is clear in what it wants to do: to display the recognisable face of bigotry in business and to challenge it. If only it was a little clearer in how it wanted to do it.
London Zoo at the Southwark Theatre, Borough, runs until Saturday 30th March. Buy tickets here.
Southwark Playhouse
77-85 Newington Causeway,
London SE1 6BD
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