Bananaman is taking to the London stage for the first time (Picture: Claire Bilyard)

London theatre fans can ‘peel the power of Bananaman’ this Christmas as the legendary superhero arrives on stage for the first time.

Metro.co.uk have been given the exclusive first look at the costume for the stage adaptation, which has been tailor made by Robert Allsopp & Associates, world-renowned prop and costume designers responsible for the X-Men outfits, and the alien creatures for the new series of Doctor Who.

The hero defined a generation of comic book fans in the 1980s and was a mainstay in The Beano, as well as the focus of a landmark cartoon series.

This is the first time the character has been staged (Picture: Claire Bilyard)

The tongue-in-cheek character is a rather light-hearted superhero, the ‘very, very last option’ to fight evil when Batman and Superman are on holiday. Bananaman is a parody of superheroes like Spider-Man, because of his comedy aesthetic, and the fact he uses his strength in idiotic ways.




The first ever staging of the superhero story will take place at the Southwark Theatre in London this December, in a strictly limited run until 20 January 2018.

Costume designer Mike Leopold explained more about the impressive suit: ‘It’s a bespoke full muscle suit made with a top layer of Lycra which has been airbrushed to contour the muscles further and add depth to the figure, cape and cowl.

Bananaman plays a limited run at the Southwark Playhouse (Picture: Claire Bilyard)

‘The fabric for Bananaman’s distinctive yellow cape is made of Arlcantara – used in elite luxury Italian sports cars including Ferrari for their roofs – it also benefits from looking not unlike a banana skin!’.

Glasgwegian actor Matthew McKenna, who plays Bananaman, added: ‘The suit is amazing to wear but I drink 4 litres of water a day as part of my fitness regime – and that is going to be a big problem!’

Matthew McKenna, who plays Bananaman, in rehearsals Picture: Claire Bilyard)

Bananaman is one of the leading comic book heroes, who began life in 1980 in the Nutty comic. He transferred to The Dandy, before joining the world’s longest-running comic, The Beano, in 2012.

An eponymously-titled cartoon about the character ran between 1983 and 1986 for three series and over 40 episodes on the BBC.

Bananaman was originally a cartoon (Picture: BBC)

Bananaman has an affectionate following, known for being more muscle than sense. He wears striking yellow as he fights evil with potassium (from all the bananas) for fuel.

It is a miraculous meeting of minds to have fringe theatre Southwark Playhouse and SFX maestros Robert Allsopp & Associates work collaboratively on this project; their involvement illustrates the great scope of this musical, and level of public interest in Bananaman’s on stage reprisal.