The Bitter Pill, The Libra Theatre Cafe
Camden Fringe 2025 opens in less than four weeks time, and so it’s time to start introducing the shows to you. Every day of July we will be publishing new interviews to highlight just some of what is coming to a theatre near you from 28 July for four weeks, so do keep coming back to see how close to our target we can get. You will find all our Camden Fringe interviews here.
Adrien Rosza‘s The Bitter Pill will be at The Libra Theatre Cafe for two nights, 28 and 30 July, so if you want to catch it at Camden Fringe, you better book tickets now! Described as “an unapologetic love letter to the queer experience with an all-LGBTQ+ cast and creative team” it certainly promises to kick the festival off in high energy!
What can audiences expect from the show?
Welcome to The End Of The World – a nightclub for the damned! The Bitter Pill is part immersive jukebox musical, part poetic ode to queer culture, and full existential crisis! It follows aspiring poet and Oxford dropout Flood inside a lawless club where time and gender are left at the door. It’s here where they meet The Anachronists; a group of misfits from bygone eras who convince them to swallow literal bitter pills and succumb to their cardinal desires.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
There was never any doubt that I would debut The Bitter Pill in the creative capital that is Camden, especially when Camden Fringe is what inspired me to peruse writing in London after watching the shows from last year. It’s an honour to have the chance to share my first, official production in the very place that inspired it!
What was that inspiration then?
The Bitter Pill started as a passion project in my first year at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama last year after moving to Camden from the quiet, rural midlands. There, I was baptised into the unapologetic gay nightlife of London and had a taste of the modern queer scene for first time, which was an experience I had to share with all of the visceral emotional and surreal feelings I experienced.
How long have you been working on the play?
I had the idea for the show since early December last year- I had wanted to embed iconic British music into my work for years, but the inspiration only hit me once arriving in Camden and feeling the tracks in person. The way it made time disappear and made the world melt into the music was something I had to write.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
After finding The Libra Theatre Cafe, I knew the play had to be immersive. The venue was a major inspiration to me when I was first writing the environment, so it made sense to cut the chorus and make the audience feel like visitors to The End Of The World. Other than that, the actors have really taken the roles and brought so much life to the words since they were first written, drastically changing my vision for the better with their creative takes- I can’t get their voices out of my head when I read the script!
Are there any plans for what comes next after the show has finished its run – for you or the show?
I would love to keep The Bitter Pill’s momentum going, maybe even upscale it into bigger venues for its own official production if the opportunity arrives. However, there are many more stories I would love to tell in future showcases – with a couple of scripts already in the works – and I remain ambitious and optimistic about the future!
Who would play you in the Hollywood adaptation of your future autobiography?
I would adore a muppet movie version of my life. Gonzo the great – no questions asked.
If your show had a soundtrack what songs would definitely be on it?
Since the show’s a jukebox musical – why not watch it and see?
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?
To not overthink it and to throw yourself into the opportunity. I wouldn’t have been able to produce the show at all if I hadn’t been encouraged to take a risk and hand my idea out into the world with the support of cast and crew alike.
Our thanks to Adrien for finding the time to chat. The Bitter Pill will play at The Libra Theatre Cafe on 28 and 30 July.
