What’s the story?

Arriving in London from his native Japan, Novy searches for a sense of purpose, and an opportunity to meet his personal hero, Paddington Bear. Theatre-maker, performer and clown Nobuo Otsuka’s absurdist one-act brings culture shock to the stage in a series of misadventures as Novy lives out his London dream, as well as following a few of his unplanned detours.

Where did it play?

Novy’s Guide to Mysterious Mistakes played at the Canal Café Theatre on July 4th and 5th 2025.

Information about the performance can be found here.

This review was written based on archival footage, which I was granted access to in exchange for an impartial review.

Spoiler-Free…ish Thoughts

Mysterious Mistakes is stupid. There’s no way around it, and it’s certainly not an insult. In fact, it’s what I suspect Otsuka and co. want it to be. Completely, bafflingly stupid.

Because as Novy, Otsuka set out to bemuse his audiences, and make them laugh at not only specific jokes, but also at the sheer absurdity of it all. From jokes whose punchlines are just that bit different to what you expect, through to moments of audience participation and an almost-finale moment involving a planted actor, Mysterious Mistakes presented all manner of truly impressive stupidity, and was all the more engaging for it.

Co-written by Otsuka and director Eleanor Hindson, the show packs a lot into a 50-minute runtime, which while ensuring it never dragged or lost its manic energy, does suggest streamlining that could greatly benefit any future performances. Novy takes a while to find his new career as a telephone spiritual guide, and it’s a shame audience’s weren’t introduced to these bumbling workdays sooner, with many of the strongest moments, both the funniest and the most compelling, stemming from this set-up.

Despite the over-stuffed nature the show can develop, something I found infinitely enjoyable throughout was Nobuo Otsuka himself, as both a performer in character as Novy and as a presence onstage. Otsuka’s crowd work and dedication to the naive, curious character make even the less successful moments feel that much stronger, and when Mysterious Mistakes is at its strongest it is often down as much to his delivery as to his and Hindson’s script. Alternately knowing and totally clueless, Otsuka’s performance proved to be the strongest element of Novy’s Guide to Mysterious Mistakes, and his ability to seamlessly segue into callbacks to the characters he and Hindson had thrust upon audience members was particularly artful.

Alongside the writer-performer, a pre-recorded performance as a customer calling in or guidance came courtesy of Jack Pryor, evolving hysterically into an in-person appearance. With this as a centrepiece of the show’s finale, I truly hope that the Otsuka-Hindson partnership evolves into a fully-formed exploration of Novy as a would-be phone psychic, with Pryor’s excellent delivery paired brilliantly with the indelible and ridiculous character they created for him. With Hindson as a steady guide, the pair of actors match up so well, are so willing to lean into the nonsense, that something truly special begins to emerge.

Yes, Novy’s Guide to Mysterious Mistakes had a bit too much going on, and yes there were stronger threads that I wish had been explored more fully. Still, with Nobuo Otsuka’s performance as a much-needed anchor, the show succeeded in what it set out to do – it made people laugh, and introduced the indelible character of Novy to the world. Perhaps my longed-for workplace comedy will come of it, perhaps Novy will never be heard from again… but what is without doubt is that Nobuo Otsuka has a bright future ahead of him, and that even when the work becomes more questionable in its focus, his performance demanded that they audience come immediately back on side.

Final Thoughts

Stupid. Senseless. Singular.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

There are certainly moments where this weird and wonderful show falters, and material that feels as if it was much funnier when being lobbied around between friends. But what works really works, and there’s no denying the star power that writer and star Nobuo Otsuka brought to the material, or to the fact that his singular ability to connect with an audience is not to be ignored. And once again, they clearly aimed for stupid, and for better or worse (or both!) all involve succeeded on that front.