Tinsel town meets am dram in Hislop’s new comedy
KEEN to boost his flagging career, fading Hollywood action hero Jefferson Steele arrives in England to play King Lear in Stratford – only to find that he is not in the birthplace of Shakespeare, but in a sleepy Suffolk village.
And instead of starring alongside Sir Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench, the cast are a bunch of amateurs trying to save their theatre from ruthless developers.
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s comedy, A Bunch Of Amateurs, is heading to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham next June.
The pair said: “Following successful national tours of The Wipers Times and Trial By Laughter, we are thrilled to be touring the very first play we wrote, A Bunch of Amateurs – a love letter to the world of amateur theatre and a celebration of the overweening absurdity of Hollywood stardom.”
Jefferson’s monstrous ego, vanity and insecurity are tested to the limit by the enthusiastic amateur thespians he finds himself sharing the spotlight with. As acting worlds collide and Jefferson’s career implodes, he discovers some truths about himself – along with his inner Lear!
A Bunch of Amateurs will be directed by Robin Herford – best known for The Woman In Black, which he commissioned while he was artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in the late 1980s. Casting for the show is to be announced. The show runs from Tuesday, June 23, until Saturday, June 27, 2020, at the Theatre Royal. Tickets: trch.co.uk, 0115 989 5555,£19.50 to £38.