Bastard, Drunk, Actor, Genius. January 26, 1814. Edmund Kean makes his Drury Lane debut as Shylock, thus changing the history of British theatre forever. He is a grieving, drunk megalomaniac. He is poetry in motion. An astonishing fusion of texts and heightened physical performance combine to form a damning indictment of our own celebrity -obsessed society. Part 1, The Rise to Fame is performed as a stand-alone piece with a special once-off performance of the Trilogy entire – (The Fall to Infamy and The Decline to Legend) on Sunday 16 Sep from 2pm to 7pm, with intervals. (See also The Tragedian Trilogy (Part I, II, III) to book tickets for the full trilogy)

Written by Alister O’Loughlin. Directed by Miranda Henderson.

Review: “Extraordinary, inventive, imaginative, dynamic” (The Times)