Adapted from Nikolai Gogol’s classic short story by award-winning Irish playwright Derek Masterson and relocated to contemporary Ireland, this darkly comic one-man drama follows a lonely corporate worker whose desperate need to be seen begins to distort his reality. Humiliation turns to grievance and, as he retreats online, attention and validation begin to reward an increasingly distorted view of the world. Traditional diary entries are replaced by social-media posts, follower counts and livestreams as his private breakdown becomes increasingly public. Blending solo performance, physical theatre, audience interaction and multimedia, Diary of a Mad Man explores isolation, masculinity, status, prejudice, mental health and online radicalisation. What happens when someone losing his grip on reality finds a world willing to validate it? Set against the fractured reality of a mental institution, the production gradually reveals the distance between the protagonist’s constructed world and what is actually happening around him, while implicating an audience increasingly drawn into his search for attention and recognition.
Audience responses included: “One of the best I’ve seen in years of Fringe-going.” |“Amazing acting, and a superb adaptation of a classic novel.” | “BRILLIANT. Psychotic, scary, funny, haunting. GO.”
“Edinburgh gave us 26 performances to really understand and develop the show in front of an audience. I’m incredibly excited to bring the show to London. At its heart, it’s still Gogol’s lonely man who desperately wants to be seen, except now he finds an online world willing to reward his increasingly distorted view of reality.” – Mark McAuley
Mark McAuley’s connection with Diary of a Mad Man stretches back to his early acting training at Dublin’s Focus Theatre. His first acting coach and mentor, Tim McDonnell, won an Obie Award for his performance of Diary of a Madman in New York in 1989. In many ways, this production is a homage to McDonnell and his influence on McAuley as an actor.
Mark McAuley is an award-winning Irish actor, writer and director. His screen credits include Vikings, Into the Badlands and Saol. His debut feature, aWake, which he wrote, directed and performed in, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime UK. In 2026, McAuley received Best Actor at the Underground Cinema International Film Festival (UCIFF) for his performance in the short film Father, which was subsequently broadcast nationally on RTÉ2. His recent directing work includes Horseback, which had its Irish premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh and won Best Irish Short Film at UCIFF 2026. It will be the opening short film of the Kerry International Film Festival 2026.
Derek Masterson is an award-winning Irish playwright and screenwriter. His plays include Bound, Exhibition, A Nice Bed to Die In and Queens of Pimlico, and his work has featured in the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival’s “Play On” and in New York with The Break Away Project. Film credits include the international documentary Visionaries and The Black Keys.
COMPANY INFORMATION
Performed & Directed by: Mark McAuley
Written / Adapted by: Derek Masterson
Lighting, AV & Sound Design: Iris Liange
Costume Design: Mado Chadebec
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Diary of a Mad Man
Old Red Lion Theatre
418 St John Street
London EC1V 4NJ
24–28 November 2026 (Six performances including matinee on Saturday 28 November)
Running time: 60 minutes, no interval
Suitable for ages 16+
Tickets:
General Admission £20 / Concession £17 / Early Bird £15 until 31 October
Prices include booking fee. Booking: Old Red Lion Theatre