Claire Dowie's Swansong

Adult Child/Dead Child
Why Is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? 
H to He (I’m turning into a Man)
See Primark and Die (Buy Little, Buy Less, Buy Nothing At All)

For more than forty years, alternative theatre legend Claire Dowie (“the female counterpart to Quentin Crisp” Evening Standard) has led the way with her ground-breaking “stand-up theatre” performances, especially when it comes to the themes of gender roles, sexuality and mental health.

Now, she returns to the place it all began with Claire Dowie’s Swansong featuring four plays from four decades, performed in repertoire.

A unique opportunity to see her work as it should be performed – by Claire herself.

Claire Dowie says: “The Finborough is where it all started and may well be where it all ends. Catch me while you still can!”

1980s
Adult Child/Dead Child
What happens when childhood pain goes unheard? When perfection is demanded, but love is withheld? In this raw and deeply moving solo piece, a child invents an imaginary friend to be all the things they weren’t allowed to be…

But as the years pass, that imaginary friend takes on a life – and a rage – of their own.

A poetic and piercing exploration of identity, mental health, and the invisible scars left by emotional neglect. A journey through childhood, psychological distress, and ultimately, healing, told with coruscating humour and unflinching honesty.

Claire Dowie first performed Adult Child/Dead Child late night at the Finborough Theatre in July 1987. It returned for a full run at the Finborough Theatre a month later, transferred to the Kings Head Theatre twice, returned to the Finborough Theatre again, and then toured throughout the UK and beyond. It won a Time Out Theatre Award in 1988, and continues to be performed by theatre companies all over the world.

Adult Child/Dead Child performs on Tuesday 10 June at 7.30pm (Press Night), Wednesday 18 June at 7.30pm, Sunday 22 June at 3.00pm, Friday 27 June at 7.30pm, and Thursday 3 July at 7.30pm.

1990s
Why Is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? 
What happens when you’re born a girl, but every part of you wants to be a Beatle, not a beauty queen?

A young tomboy navigates the battleground of skirts, school uniforms, and society’s suffocating labels. From schoolyard games to workplace sexism, from feminist awakenings to identity crises, this searingly funny and deeply personal show charts a raw riotous journey through the tangled mess of gender expectations, and the search for self.

Claire Dowie premiered Why Is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in 1990, and subsequently at the Finborough Theatre where it received a London Fringe Award in 1991. The play was revived for the Edinburgh Festival in 2013, winning a ‘Best of the Fest’ and a unique six star review in the Edinburgh Evening News. It continues to be performed internationally, most recently by companies in Spain (in Spanish) and India (in Marathi).

Why Is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt? performs on Wednesday 11 June at 7.30pm (Press Night), Sunday 15 June at 3.00pm, Thursday 19 June at 7.30pm, Tuesday 24 June at 7.30pm, Saturday 28 June at 7.30pm, and Friday 4 July at 7.30pm.
2000s
H to He (I’m turning into a Man)
One morning, Helen wakes up and something’s…different. Her hand doesn’t feel like her own. Her voice has dropped an octave. And that’s just the start.

In this razor-sharp, surreal, and hilarious solo show, inspired by Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Claire Dowie takes us on a wild ride through gender, identity, and self-perception as a woman finds herself inexplicably—and irreversibly—turning into a man.

With biting wit, physical comedy, and moments of genuine vulnerability, H to He unpacks what it means to be a “real” man, a “proper” woman, and whether either actually makes sense…

Claire Dowie first performed H to He (I’m turning into a Man) at The Drill Hall in 2005. She has subsequently performed it internationally, winning awards at festivals in Germany, Romania and Kosovo. Published in both German and Italian, there have been multiple productions in Germany and Italy, and Teatro Franco Parenti in Milan are reviving their production in Autumn 2025.

H to He (I’m turning into a Man) performs on Thursday 12 June at 7.30pm (Press Night), Saturday 14 June at 7.30pm, Friday 20 June at 7.30pm, Wednesday 25 June at 7.30pm, Tuesday 1 July at 7.30pm, and Saturday 5 July at 7.30pm.

2010s
See Primark and DieAfter a panic attack in Peckham Primark, a woman finds herself spiraling into a new affliction – shopophobia –and embarks on a surreal journey through supermarket standoffs, dumpster diving, and Jedi-fuelled revelations.

This razor-sharp, darkly hilarious theatre show – that foresaw the current burgeoning international “Buy Nothing” movement – dives headfirst into the chaos of modern capitalism, identity, and our strange addiction to stuff.

Told with wit, rage, and warmth, part stand-up, part social satire, See Primark and Die is a wild, laugh-out-loud ride through consumer collapse and the search for something real among the reduced stickers.

Claire Dowie originally performed See Primark and Die – under its original title Buy Little Buy Less Buy Nothing At All – at The Drill Hall in 2010. It has been seen across Europe with productions in both German and Italian. Stage 2 Youth Theatre will present a large cast version in Birmingham in December 2025.

See Primark and Die performs on Friday 13 June at 7.30pm (Press Night), Tuesday 17 June at 7.30pm, Saturday 21 June at 7.30pm, Thursday 26 June at 7.30pm, Sunday 29 June at 3.00pm, and Wednesday 2 July at 7.30pm.

Buy a ticket for any performance, and when you collect your ticket, we will give you a discount code so that you can get £2 off any ticket for any of the four plays for all subsequent visits.