Roy Hudd will make a special appearance in the London premiere of Naturally Insane! The Life of Dan Leno at the Criterion Theatre on 27 April 2020.
Starring comedian and presenter Steve Royle as Dan Leno, the show which traces the life and ultimately tragic times of English music hall star Dan Leno will feature comedy legend and music hall aficionado Hudd as actor and theatre manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree.
Hudd, who agreed to appear in London after seeing the show in Eastbourne said: “So many folk have tried to bring the Victorian comedian to life – almost impossible I thought until I saw Naturally Insane! The Life of Dan Leno by David Slattery-Christy.
“This really is quite something. It captures the wild imaginings of a comic genius perfectly. Steve Royle looks like the man, moves beautifully, like the dancer Leno was, and makes you love him on sight. I do urge you to see it if you can. I’m excited about it. I do believe this play is a bit special.”
Written by playwright David Slattery-Christy, Naturally Insane! is set in the Camberwell Asylum in the last weeks of Leno’s life. Starring as Leno, Blackpool pantomime favourite Royle (Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy), looks back on a career that took the star from the Northern music halls to the London stage where his performances as panto dame made him a favourite of King Edward VII and the Royal Family.
The show will arrive in London following a successful UK tour that has attracted rave reviews and the approval of comedy legend Peter Kay. Commenting on the production and the performance of his long-time friend and colleague Royle, Kay said: “It’s great to see the life of the great Dan Leno being brought to the stage with such brilliance. Steve Royle has funny bones and this unique heartfelt production allows us to see both Steve’s magnificent talent and Dan Leno’s.”
The Criterion Theatre has been chosen as the venue for the show’s London premiere because it sits opposite the former London Pavilion Music Hall in Piccadilly Circus where Leno performed hundreds of times at the height of his fame.
Following the performance, Hudd, who is also president of the British Music Hall Society, will return to the stage to give a talk about the star who died in 1904 and his legacy.
Angela Thomas
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