Punchline by Andrew Kay
Punchline
by Andrew Kay
It’s the end of the day and the end of an era. Comedian Terry has arrived at the club where once he was the headline act but now is reduced to introducing exotic dancers and bands. In a career where the world of comedy was dominated by men and racism and misogyny were the norm Terry talks about his experiences working alongside some of the greats – Les Dawson, Tommy Cooper, Ken Dodd and Larry Grayson, and how alongside those stars his career never reached the heights that theirs did. As time moved on his style of comedy was rapidly eclipsed by the new Alternative Comedy scene.
As Terry prepares to go on stage he talks about comedy, his life on the road and on stage. Gradually Terry reveals not only how his career has changed but also his private life in a tragic-comic tale of clubland life and domestic abuse.
Punchline is an entirely new work by Andrew Kay whose previous play I Will Survive won the drama competition at the Word On Worthing literary festival and his second play Morning Glory opened at The Two Brewers in London, had a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe and was revived at Theatre Royal Brighton’s studio format season for two sell out performances and great reviews.
Punchline stars Coronation Street legend Brian Capron, whose career on stage and TV has seen him in hit series Grange Hill, Where The Heart Is, EastEnders and playing the iconic role of serial killer Richard Hillman in Coronation Street.
Punchline is directed by Rupert Charmak whose short feature I Am Super is currently doing the festivals rounds and recently privately screened the film to a sellout audience at Soho House, Brighton. Rupert is a writer, director, actor and fight choreographer for film and TV. He recently finished working on ITV’s Grace, starring John Simm, where he was assisting the producers. He trained as an actor at Mountview Academy and has been working as a performer for over 10 years.
Punchline is produced by Brighton entrepreneur Steve Barrey aka The Liquorice Dragon and brought to audiences by Liquorice Dragon Productions.
Fri 12 Apr 2024, 7:30PM
Sat 13 Apr 2024, 7:30PM
Sun 14 Apr 2024, 2:30PM
Sun 14 Apr 2024, 7:30PM
Join us after the Sunday matinee for a fascinating Q&A with actor Brian Capron, writer Andrew Kay and director Rupert Charmak
Tickets: £15 / £12
Company: Liquorice Dragon Productions
Genre: Drama
Duration:
Venue Accessibility:
Assistance Dogs Welcome
Age suitability: 16+ (Guideline)
Babes in Arms policy: Under 2's are not allowed at this event.
Content Warnings:
Strong Language
Brian Capron
Brian is a TV and theatre actor whose career spans over 50 years during which he has appeared in hundreds of plays and TV programmes ranging from The Sweeney, Minder and Bergerac through to Grange Hill, Coronation Street, Midsomer Murders and New Tricks. He is often remembered for his portrayal of Richard Hillman in ITV’s Coronation Street whilst others recall his performances as Mr Hopwood in Grange Hill and Ozias Harding in the TV classic, Where the Heart is.
In the theatre, Brian has performed in a wide range of productions including musicals, pantos, drama and comedy throughout the UK including memorable performances within the West End and the Royal National Theatre. His ability to rise to the big occasions has seen him take centre stage for blockbusters such as Guys and Dolls, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Peter Pan and the award winning Doctor Dolittle.
Brian’s recognition for his work on stage and screen has included nominations for Most Popular Actor, Best Newcomer and many others and has achieved a record breaking five British Soap Awards. Brian lifted the awards for Best Actor, Best Villain, Best Exit, Best Scene and Best Storyline and was topped off by winning Villain of The Decade at the Inside Soap Awards. Brian has featured in many popular TV reality shows such as BBC Strictly Come Dancing, Five Celebrities go Caravanning and BBC Celebrity Masterchef, where he reached the final.
Brian resides in Brighton and Hove with his wife Jacqueline and is father to three children, Lucy, Ellie and Louis.
ANDREW KAY
Andrew Kay studied at Chelsea School of Art, and after graduating had a successful 16 year career in publishing as an award winning art director, after which he worked as a designer in theatre before moving into magazines as art director, writer and popular columnist.
His writing now encompasses published fiction, Pretty Boys All In A Row and performed drama, I will Survive (WOW! New Drama Winner), Morning Glory which premiered in London before heading to the Edinburgh Fringe starring Jason Sutton (Miss Jason) and more recently played to sell out audiences at Theatre Royal Brighton’s studio format season starring Allan Cardew. His new play Punchline opens this April at the Lantern Theatre in Brighton starring Coronation Street star Brian Capron.
He is Creative Director for Latest TV where he has produced, directed and presented many programmes including the successful TV series International Chef Exchange (Amazon Prime) which took him all over Europe and to Canada, as well as the popular cookery programmes Cook It! and Latest Homes Live and he is a regular reporter on Latest TV News. His chat shows AK Soufflé and Look Out! saw him talking to LGBTQI+ celebrities about their private lives and their professional careers and he made over 200 episodes of Queersay, an LGBTQI+ global news review programme where he talked with regular guests, including local LGBTQI+ hero James Ledward, about how the media deals with queer issues. He has also made an hour long documentary interviewing queer activist and champion Peter Tatchell.
He continues to write for thelatest.co.uk online specialising in food and drink, theatre, opera and arts and teaches at East Sussex College. Writing and cooking are his passions and he is never far from a pen or a pan!