We recently sat down with the team behind Stage Leftovers presents: The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer, coming to The Bread & Roses at the end of the month.
Written by Chiara Fumanti and directed by Andrea Guerini, this dark, surreal two-hander follows Eva, a single mum navigating work, parenting, and intrusive thoughts in a world that won’t let up. Blending sharp humour with raw honesty, the show dives into the chaos of the modern “rat race” and what it takes to survive it.
Read on to hear more about the making of the show and what audiences can expect.
Can you give us a little insight into The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer? What’s it about?
AG: The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer is a play about a day in the head of an average woman who is striving for a better life for her child and, at the same time, fighting with the voice in her head. It's about removing the glamour around mental health talk and more about showing the real struggle that people have in every aspect of their life.
CF: At its core, The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer is the story of an ordinary person, with her own troubles and worries, just trying to get through the day. When I wrote it, I wanted the show to live on two realms. I wanted to have reality – which is the protagonist on the train, just going about her day – and the reality of what’s going on in her brain, which although is not real to people around her, is very real to her. I wanted to have this duality; to give the audience the chance to go in and out of her brain. It’s not about defeating the dark voices in your head, it’s about learning to live with them, and therefore, having a better relationship with yourself.
Andrea, what drew you to Chiara’s script?
AG: The real kicker in the script is that everything is written in a simple, direct way, and everyone watching can relate to it. It’s raw and honest. I think all of us have a little voice in our head, we just need to find a way to manage it in the best way possible.
How would you describe the show in just a few words for someone curious but hasn’t heard of it?
AG: It’s a funny dark comedy full of balloon popping, Italians and a lot of intrusive thoughts. What else you need?
CF: If you have ever wondered what the person next to you is thinking, this is the show for you. It’s surprising, funny, and will scratch that curious itch you might get next time you step in the tube!
Written by Chiara Fumanti and directed by Andrea Guerini, this dark, surreal two-hander follows Eva, a single mum navigating work, parenting, and intrusive thoughts in a world that won’t let up. Blending sharp humour with raw honesty, the show dives into the chaos of the modern “rat race” and what it takes to survive it.
Read on to hear more about the making of the show and what audiences can expect.
Can you give us a little insight into The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer? What’s it about?
AG: The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer is a play about a day in the head of an average woman who is striving for a better life for her child and, at the same time, fighting with the voice in her head. It's about removing the glamour around mental health talk and more about showing the real struggle that people have in every aspect of their life.
CF: At its core, The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer is the story of an ordinary person, with her own troubles and worries, just trying to get through the day. When I wrote it, I wanted the show to live on two realms. I wanted to have reality – which is the protagonist on the train, just going about her day – and the reality of what’s going on in her brain, which although is not real to people around her, is very real to her. I wanted to have this duality; to give the audience the chance to go in and out of her brain. It’s not about defeating the dark voices in your head, it’s about learning to live with them, and therefore, having a better relationship with yourself.
Andrea, what drew you to Chiara’s script?
AG: The real kicker in the script is that everything is written in a simple, direct way, and everyone watching can relate to it. It’s raw and honest. I think all of us have a little voice in our head, we just need to find a way to manage it in the best way possible.
How would you describe the show in just a few words for someone curious but hasn’t heard of it?
AG: It’s a funny dark comedy full of balloon popping, Italians and a lot of intrusive thoughts. What else you need?
CF: If you have ever wondered what the person next to you is thinking, this is the show for you. It’s surprising, funny, and will scratch that curious itch you might get next time you step in the tube!
What was the rehearsal process like, any surprises along the way?
CF: That balloons are surprisingly hard to pop! Now we’ve mastered the technique though. Apart from that, it’s been a fairly smooth ride. Before we even started rehearsals, my main worry was how to make this a two-hander. How would we represent people on the train? How would we depict the intrusive thoughts? But Andrea had the brilliant idea of balloons before we even got to the rehearsal room – it was a conversation we had at home during the writing process. I think that really helped smooth things up once we actually got to rehearsals.
AG: The rehearsal process was surprisingly very smooth. Chiara has written the characters taking inspiration by our real selves, so once we got to the rehearsal room, it was mostly about working out relationships and connections between the characters, more than the characters themselves. The real break down was the balloons idea, they make it all easier.
Eva’s journey is intense and surreal, how did you approach bringing her story to life on stage?
CF: As both the writer and performer for this piece, it was actually a very interesting process. Eva is pretty much a reflection of myself. The story is mostly autobiographical, the intrusive thoughts that Eva has are real thoughts that I had myself on the tube on the way to work over a few months. So as a writer, all I did was collate all of these thoughts, compress them into one journey, make them deeper and more bothersome and relate them to Eva’s particular situation, especially with her having a child. However, as an actor, the autobiographicity of the play was actually one of the biggest challenges I faced. That’s because a big part of Eva is myself, the trauma she reveals is my lived trauma, but her circumstances are different, the world in which she lives is different. So I focused on one of the differences between us, her motherhood and her relationship with her son, to try to get to her instead of just playing myself.
CF: That balloons are surprisingly hard to pop! Now we’ve mastered the technique though. Apart from that, it’s been a fairly smooth ride. Before we even started rehearsals, my main worry was how to make this a two-hander. How would we represent people on the train? How would we depict the intrusive thoughts? But Andrea had the brilliant idea of balloons before we even got to the rehearsal room – it was a conversation we had at home during the writing process. I think that really helped smooth things up once we actually got to rehearsals.
AG: The rehearsal process was surprisingly very smooth. Chiara has written the characters taking inspiration by our real selves, so once we got to the rehearsal room, it was mostly about working out relationships and connections between the characters, more than the characters themselves. The real break down was the balloons idea, they make it all easier.
Eva’s journey is intense and surreal, how did you approach bringing her story to life on stage?
CF: As both the writer and performer for this piece, it was actually a very interesting process. Eva is pretty much a reflection of myself. The story is mostly autobiographical, the intrusive thoughts that Eva has are real thoughts that I had myself on the tube on the way to work over a few months. So as a writer, all I did was collate all of these thoughts, compress them into one journey, make them deeper and more bothersome and relate them to Eva’s particular situation, especially with her having a child. However, as an actor, the autobiographicity of the play was actually one of the biggest challenges I faced. That’s because a big part of Eva is myself, the trauma she reveals is my lived trauma, but her circumstances are different, the world in which she lives is different. So I focused on one of the differences between us, her motherhood and her relationship with her son, to try to get to her instead of just playing myself.
Arthur is such a unique character, how did you tackle creating him visually and emotionally?
AG: Arthur is a funnily disgusting character. The type of person who’s well-seen by everybody but is horrifying in private – which is one of the reasons why Eva struggles so much with him. I approached him by picturing him as a circus master, somebody who exploits and abuses everyone, but is loved and praised by the audience. So visually, I thought big, over the top, extremely physical. Emotionally, it’s more complicated. He is always riding on this very fine line between sadism and fun. As an actor, keeping the balance is definitely the hardest part. And also, remembering that he is in fact not a real person, but a figment of Eva’s imagination, an agglomerate of emotions, and has a reason to exist – that’s a challenge.
What do you hope audiences will feel or think after seeing the show?
CF: I hope they will feel heard. We live in a society which often shames even the remote idea of having a “bad” thought, whatever that means. So we often find ourselves so scared of our brain, so ashamed at ourselves for thinking something that is not positive, or polite, or nice. Instead, I hope we can get to a point where we can separate our identity from our thoughts, where we can recognise where a negative thought comes from, without shame or fear, and work on that if needed. I hope we can all reach a point where we are at peace with ourselves – or as close to peace as possible. You are not your thoughts!
AG: Arthur is a funnily disgusting character. The type of person who’s well-seen by everybody but is horrifying in private – which is one of the reasons why Eva struggles so much with him. I approached him by picturing him as a circus master, somebody who exploits and abuses everyone, but is loved and praised by the audience. So visually, I thought big, over the top, extremely physical. Emotionally, it’s more complicated. He is always riding on this very fine line between sadism and fun. As an actor, keeping the balance is definitely the hardest part. And also, remembering that he is in fact not a real person, but a figment of Eva’s imagination, an agglomerate of emotions, and has a reason to exist – that’s a challenge.
What do you hope audiences will feel or think after seeing the show?
CF: I hope they will feel heard. We live in a society which often shames even the remote idea of having a “bad” thought, whatever that means. So we often find ourselves so scared of our brain, so ashamed at ourselves for thinking something that is not positive, or polite, or nice. Instead, I hope we can get to a point where we can separate our identity from our thoughts, where we can recognise where a negative thought comes from, without shame or fear, and work on that if needed. I hope we can all reach a point where we are at peace with ourselves – or as close to peace as possible. You are not your thoughts!
Were there any creative influences - films, theatre, art - that helped shape the production?
CF: Not consciously, I don’t think. Although while writing the show I was watching a lot on true crime documentaries…
For anyone on the fence about seeing a dark, surreal comedy, what would you say to them?
CF: I would say don’t be scared! The play definitely deals with dark themes, but there will be laughs throughout.
What’s coming up next for Stage Leftovers?
CF: We have a few more dates after our Bread & Roses run, throughout March and April. Our final goal for this year is to go up to Edinburgh for the fringe. We’ll keep developing The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer, but we are also planning to expand as a theatre company and launch more shows – follow us on Instagram if you’d like to be updated!
The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer runs 24th - 28th February 2026 at The Bread & Roses Theatre
CF: Not consciously, I don’t think. Although while writing the show I was watching a lot on true crime documentaries…
For anyone on the fence about seeing a dark, surreal comedy, what would you say to them?
CF: I would say don’t be scared! The play definitely deals with dark themes, but there will be laughs throughout.
What’s coming up next for Stage Leftovers?
CF: We have a few more dates after our Bread & Roses run, throughout March and April. Our final goal for this year is to go up to Edinburgh for the fringe. We’ll keep developing The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer, but we are also planning to expand as a theatre company and launch more shows – follow us on Instagram if you’d like to be updated!
The Extraordinary Life of a Rat Racer runs 24th - 28th February 2026 at The Bread & Roses Theatre
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