Dead Royal

by Chris Ioan Roberts


INTERNATIONAL TOURING + FESTIVAL SHOW


Originally produced by Ovalhouse, London (2015)

Supported by a grant from Arts Council England

Recent season at Brisbane International Festival, Theatre Republic 2015

http://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/whats-on/dead-royal

Melbourne 2016

http://www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/wp2016/event/dead-royal/2016-08-23/

“Unique and enthralling, this is a bravura turn from Chris Ioan Roberts that is savagely funny and remarkably thoughtful and penetrating.”


                                                                                                                                                                                                    - British Theatre

Synopsis








Length / style







Creative Team

Villa Windsor, Paris, 1981.

Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, 82, invites Lady Diana Spencer, 19, to a doom-laden bachelorette party on the eve of her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales.

The Duchess frantically warns Diana to flee her looming nuptials – before she marries the wrong man and becomes immortalised as a desperate woman eager to crawl over broken glass to snatch a royal title.

Dead Royal is a bitter, venal melodrama laying bare history's merciless judgement of civilians who get sucked into the thick swamp of royal mediocrity. Savagely riffing on early 1980s fashion crimes and Britain's corrosive Princess Diana obsession, this jagged shard of physical theatre pits the Sloane Ranger's clipped vowels against a plantation-era Deep South drawl.

Gird your loins for a lacerating,camp-drenched celebration of narcissistic megalomania. 



55 minutes, no interval

Solo male performer playing 2 female characters

Rapid-delivery monologue in 2 accents (Southern / Sloane Ranger)

Black comedy / subversive shock humour

Some explicit language

Physical theatre / physical comedy

Onstage use of 1980s audiovisual equipment (cassette, VHS)


Actor | writer | director
Chris Ioan Roberts

Production Designer
Robin Soutar

Lighting Designer
Alex Hopkins

Assistant Director
Alex Rand

Original Costume Designer
Dinu Bodiciu

Wigs
Sally Tynan

Composer
Duncan Boyce

Publicity Photographer
Patricia Oliveira

Press Representative
Chloé Nelkin Consulting (London)

Production
Chris Ioan Roberts 


Reviews

“This is subversive, imaginative and compelling theatre. It is unlike anything you have seen...Unique and enthralling...See it. Don’t hesitate.”  

– Stephen Collins, British Theatre


“..scurrilous, lewd, camp and poetic.”

– The Lady 


“Hilarious...a juicy little nugget of a show.”

– Roz Carter, West End Wilma


“Fiercely funny...relentlessly, scathingly funny, and yet unexpectedly moving...”

– thereoughttobeclowns


“This meaty little psychological tangle is never less than enjoyable to watch. Roberts' performances tiptoe between caricature, drag and sincerity.”

– London City Nights


Dead Royal is an outrageous pink champagne apocalypse of lacerating wit...Chris Ioan Roberts is a fizzing and engrossing performer...Scintillatingly chic and dangerously sharp, Dead Royal is a twisted fable of Gothic proportions that will chill and chortle you to your very limits.”

– James Waygood, London


“A vivid, funny and often scathing view of royalty.”

– Ginger Hibiscus blog, London



http://britishtheatre.com/review-dead-royal-ovalhouse-4stars/

http://www.westendwilma.com/dead-royal-ovalhouse/

https://bluecurtainsbris.wordpress.com/tag/dead-royal/

http://oughttobeclowns.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/review-dead-royal-ovalhouse.html

http://www.londoncitynights.com/2015/04/dead-royal-at-ovalhouse-22nd-april-2015.html

http://lgbtqartsandculturereview.com/2015/04/23/review-dead-royal-ovalhouse/

http://grumpygaycritic.co.uk/2015/04/theatre-review-dead-royal/

http://gingerhibiscus.com/review-dead-royal-at-ovalhouse/

http://everything-theatre.co.uk/2015/04/dead-royal-ovalhouse-review.html


Show Specifications / Touring Information

Specifications

PERFORMANCE SPACE / VENUE

Dead Royal has been presented in both 3-sided thrust (80 seats) with onstage seating and proscenium format (200 seats)

Length of run negotiable

PLAYING SPACE MIN. DIMENSIONS

Minimum playing space is 6.5m W x 5m L

GET-IN / TURNAROUND TIMES

Get-in time: 2 hours approx.

PRE-ARRIVAL REQUIREMENTS

Producing venue must provide painted floor panels to the specification of the production designer.

Producing venue will store minor production elements and wardrobe sent ahead of artist arrival

TOURING PARTY

1 x artist only, venue to supply 1 x crew and show operator

STAGE MANAGEMENT

No stage manager required

Venue to supply show operator

FURTHER TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS, LX and CUE SHEETS

Please contact chrisioanroberts@gmail.com


Contact

Email Address | chrisioanroberts@gmail.com

Using Format