The comedy play Boris III that premieres at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival is still to happen despite of the news of the Prime Minister’s resignation.
‘Boris III’ makes its world premiere at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival at the Pleasance One – Pleasance Courtyard. ‘Boris III’ has been written and directed by Olivier Award-winner Adam Meggido (Showstopper! The Improvised Musical.) He is also the director of three Olivier-nominated comedies for Mischief Theatre.
When Boris Johnson was eighteen years old, he played Richard III in a school play at Eton. Apparently, he wasn’t prepared, didn’t learn his lines, and the result was chaos. Boris III is a comedy imagining of what that production might have been like. Will young Boris play the clown and charm his critics, or will he be remembered as the villain? A possible origin story for one of the most colourful and divisive figures in modern British politics – this is one illicit party you won’t want to miss.
“I read an article that Boris played Richard III at Eton. He was something of a golden boy at the time, popular, seemingly a team player, and tipped for success. However, he didn’t learn his lines and muddled through on his bumbling charm and comedy. The result was chaos, but he got away with it. Were the warning signs always there? Is he clown, or villain, or both?”
Writer Adam Meggido says: 'Strangely enough, the play I've written is becoming more prescient and relevant by the hour! Shadowing Richard III (who Mr Johnson portrayed in a school play), the rise and fall of a scoundrel king is more under the microscope than ever. Well, now the king has fallen on the battlefield, finally forced to his inevitable and long-delayed resignation, saying 'Being prime minister is an education in itself.' But his first education was Eton. The first education of so many of this country's prime ministers has been Eton. So what happened? Where did all this start? And how did we get here? Boris III is an investigation into that education and its consequences. And it's a comedy too, because God knows we all need a laugh right now.'
Boris III will be at the Pleasance Courtyard One at 4.10pm for the month of August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
The cast:
Boris – Harry Kershaw – His many theatre credits include Mischief Movie Night, Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Hook), The Play That Goes Wrong, One Man Two Guvnors (Haymarket) and The Madness of King George III (Nottingham Playhouse). TV credits: Jerk (BBC3), The Emily Atack Show (ITV2), Wallander (BBC) and ‘Endeavor’ (ITV). He also appeared in Bond’s ‘Skyfall’ (Sam Mendes) and as Finch in Great Expectations (BBC Films).
Nav – Matthew Cavendish – He recently appeared as Bertie Wooster in Chipping Norton's Jeeves & Wooster In Perfect Nonsense. He is also a regular company member of Mischief Theatre/Kenny Wax inc: The Play That Goes Wrong, (Broadway/West End), Peter Pan Goes Wrong and Comedy About A Bank Robbery (both West End). Other credits inc: The Midnight Gang by David Walliams (Chichester Festival Theatre) and The Borrowers(Northern Stage).
Adam Meggido - writer and director
Adam Meggido is co-founder and co-artistic director of Olivier Award winning Edinburhg favourite Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. He is also the director of several Olivier-nominated comedies, including: Peter Pan Goes Wrong (West End, UK tour, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, also adapted by the BBC); Magic Goes Wrong (West End, UK tour); and consultant director on Mischief Movie Night (West End and UK tour), and A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (BBC). After a close collaboration with British theatre maverick Ken Campbell, he has taken his unique blend of comedy and improv to the Royal National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, BBC TV & radio, with The Society Of Strange, The School Of Night, Nina Conti, and Rhapsodes.
Alex Marker - designer
Alex has extensive experience of designing set and costume for a wide variety of venues including: West End, touring, regional, fringe and site specific. Perhaps best known for his work for the multi award winning Finborough theatre, where he has designed over 40 productions, including three West End transfers. He has also recently designed: Harpy (national tour and Edinburgh Festival), Jeeves and Wooster Perfect Nonsense (Chipping Norton/The Barn Theatres), The Firm, The Meeting (Hampstead Theatre), The Red (Pleasance, Edinburgh), Bodies (Southwark Playhouse), The Odd Couple (English Theatre, Vienna) and Can't Buy Me Love (Salisbury Playhouse).
Carla Evans - costume designer
Carla recently designed costumes for The Straw Chair and David Gilmore's production of Jane Clegg (Finborough Theatre). She has costumed a variety of productions including: The Ghost Train, Pride and Prejudice, Private Lives, Nell Gwynn and a tour of Austria of The Little Prince (Vienna’s English Theatre). She is also a graphic designer and photographer, creating publicity materials for independent producers and theatres including The Playground Theatre (Damage Control, Harvey, The Paradise Circus), Chickenshed (Snow White, A Christmas Carol, Adventure to OZ) Jermyn Street (The Last Ones, The Autumn Garden, South African Season) and The Finborough (Summer Day’s Dream, Dream of Perfect Sleep).
Illustration Credit – Charles Peattie
