Pictures: Rehearsals countdown to Newbury world premiere of Ian Hislop and Nick Newman's Spike
The cast are in good spirits and rehearsals are going well for Spike, the new comedy by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman which world premieres at the Watermill on Thursday.
The title role of Spike Milligan is being played by Olivier Award-winning actor John Dagleish, with Stephen Fry voicing the BBC Announcer, at the Bagnor theatre until Saturday, March 5.
Hislop and Newman said: “Writing Spike gave us the opportunity to celebrate the genius of the founding father of modern comedy, explore what inspired him and steal all his jokes”.
It’s the booming 50s and Britain is in the clutches of Goon mania as men, women and children across the country scramble to get their ear to a wireless for another instalment of The Goon Show.
While Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers get down to the serious business of becoming overnight celebrities, fellow Goon and chief writer Spike finds himself pushing the boundaries of comedy, and testing the patience of the BBC. Flanked by his fellow Goons and bolstered by the efforts of irrepressible sound assistant Janet, Spike takes a flourishing nosedive off the cliffs of respectability, and mashes up his haunted past to create the comedy of the future.
Will Spike’s dogged obsession with finding the funny elevate The Goons to soaring new heights, or will the whole thing come crashing down with the stroke of a potato peeler?
TV comedian Margaret Cabourn-Smith also stars as ‘Janet' joined by George Kemp (recently seen in Bridgerton, and soon to star in Amazon’s Call My Agent) as ‘Peter Sellers’, Jeremy Lloyd as ‘Harry Secombe’, James Mack as ‘Denis Main-Wilson / Peter Eton’, Ellie Morris playing ‘June’ and Robert Mountford ‘BBC Executive’.
Spike is directed by Watermill artistic director Paul Hart, who said: “It’s been great to work with Ian and Nick on this homage to one of the most iconic voices in modern comedy. The play will commemorate twenty years since his death (he’s still ill then??) and will be equally good fun to those who know the Goons and to audiences who are new to Spike’s distinctive brand of humour. And how we all need a laugh at the moment!”
