Following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2010 and three critically acclaimed London residencies, The Fitzrovia Radio Hour makes its West End debut at Trafalgar Studios. Refuting the claim that the well-crafted written word is dead and proving it still looks its best in a dinner jacket, the show’s writer/performers use new material to recreate the spirit of 1940’s radio plays for a modern audience, evoking an age of casual imperialism and stiff upper lips. They present three rip-roaring tales: all new yet delightfully reminiscent of ration-book Britain. In He Should Have Known His Place Frank, a lathe-worker from Leeds, is consumed by ambition beyond his station. Fuelled by honest graft, he climbs to the dizzy heights of middle management. But has Frank, like Icarus, flown too close to the sun? Captain Fasthand and the Rooty Gong transports us to India's mountainous north, far from the war at home. But when the arrival of a beautiful spy tests the precious mettle of the British Army captain and hero, can he remain loyal to Britain? In Undead Queen of Evil! something is terribly wrong with Roger Cormorant, discoverer of the Lost City of Nimruth. Has an ancient queen defeated time and mortality? Is a primal evil about to be reborn? Throughout all the plays the troupe pay homage to the 1940s and to the golden age of radio. Witness vegetables simulating fist-fights, crushed cornflakes becoming an ancient priest crumbling to dust, and a desk fan representing a man gutting himself on a lathe. All the sound effects are created live on stage. The Fitzrovia Radio Hour lovingly satirise the dated attitudes of 1940s Britain, throwing them into relief with physical comedy and a modern twist to produce a heady comic cocktail. Fitzrovia Radio Hour website.| 11 Jan 11 to 5 Feb 11 | Trafalgar Theatre West End, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive |
