New play God, The Devil & Me will have a five-night run at The Lion & Unicorn Theatre in London in January 2026.
From Tip Top Theatre Collective, this bold and darkly imaginative coming-of-age play follows Gabe, a music-obsessed teen, whose bedroom becomes the battleground for a surreal tug-of-war when God and the Devil slip into his thoughts and begin to take hold of his mind.
Written and directed by Fionnuala Donnelly, it is inspired by their lived experience of being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder as a teenager. At 17, Donnelly experienced a breakdown similar to Gabe, where reality blurred and intrusive voices became a part of their life. Now in adulthood, Donnelly approaches that traumatic period with both lightness and gravity, crafting the play to give voice to their story.
At first, for Gabe, the voices seem playful, bantering with one another and demanding his attention. They tell Gabe he is “special” – perhaps even an angel – and reinforce that they are real by revealing details about Gabe’s life he has never shared. But what begins as light-hearted quickly twists into manipulation.
As the voices begin to close in on Gabe, they start to coax and flatter him yet at the same time they begin to undermine him. They gaslight him, leading Gabe to question his mum’s intentions, and over time, their impact affects his relationships with everyone around him, including his family and his closest friend.
As the situation progresses, God and the Devil begin to isolate Gabe from those who care about him, presenting themselves as his only reliable guides. Their influence distorts his everyday life, pushing it into a dream-like absurdity, leaving Gabe unable to tell where reality ends and begins. What follows is a frightening and isolating journey into self-discovery and the search for truth.
Act two sees the scene shift into a hospital setting, where it becomes clear that Gabe is struggling with his mental health. Slowly, he begins to confront what is happening to him. Here, the voices follow him – still taunting, still present – but the play introduces a new figure: Hannah, a fellow patient with an eating disorder. Unlike God and the Devil, Hannah is real, rebellious and flawed, but she offers something the voices cannot: solidarity. Through music, humour and companionship, she helps Gabe find distraction, grounding and the possibility of connection.
God, The Devil & Me plays The Lion & Unicorn Theatre from January 6-10, 2026. Tickets here.
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