Hi °C | Lo °C Black Box, Belfast
Wednesday, January 9, 1pm -amp; 8pm
Marketplace Theatre, Armagh
Thursday, January 10, 8pm
Rob Crouch brings hell-raising actor Oliver Reed back to life for a few more rounds In this blistering solo show which explores Reed's extraordinary life.
From the boyhood excitement of learning he was a descendant of Peter the Great, through the success of Oliver!, boozy adventures with Keith Moon and disastrous chat show appearances, this was a life well lived. But we join Reed as time is running out, and hear of his regrets as well as his outrageous excesses.
The play re-imagines the last hours of Reed's life in The Pub in Malta, where he had been filming his scenes for the epic movie Gladiator.
"While downing a few at the bar he tells the audience his life story," explained Crouch of the setting for the performance. "We wanted the setting to be The Pub but also, in a sense, every pub that Ollie had ever drunk in and, at the same time, a pub that represented his life. Memorabilia on the walls and coats and hats spark the memories and end up representing key episodes in his life. The notion of 'the pub' - a place where he felt you could be yourself and be with your mates - was central to Ollie's life and we wanted the setting to represent this."
The show has already met with critical acclaim as "everything a biopic should be" with "a poignant seam of self-awareness running throughout".
They don't make 'em like that any more.
For details, visit www.cqaf.com and www.marketplacearmagh.com
