Following a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year, Oliver Reed: Wild Thing will play a three-week limited season at the St James studio this summer.
Written by producer Mike Davis and actor and writer Rob Crouch, Oliver Reed: Wild Thing charts the story of the renowned screen actor, taking audiences on a journey from his boyhood excitement of discovering he was a descendant of Peter the Great, through the success of Oliver!, to his boozy adventures with Keith Moon and disastrous chat show appearances.
Performed by Crouch, whose acting credits include Table Manners, Homeland and Apple Pie at the New Wimbledon theatre, the one-man show will play at the venue from 30 July (press night 1 August) to 18 August, marking the first production to run in the new theatre’s studio space for longer than a week.
Described by Reed’s son as “superbly entertaining” and featuring what The Guardian’s Lyn Gardner expressed as “one hell of a performance from Rob Crouch”, the production focuses on the actor during the last day of his life as he knocks back drinks and shares his incredible story.
Directed by Artistic Director of Jack Studio theatre Kate Bannister, Oliver Reed: Wild Thing will play alongside the Theatre Royal Bath’s critically acclaimed production of Richard Greenberg’s The American Plan, which runs in the theatre’s main space from 2 July to 10 August.