BORIS: WORLD KING Rewritten to Reflect Brexit for Edinburgh Fringe Return

Following a complete sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015, and an acclaimed West End transfer, BORIS: WORLD KING returns to Edinburgh in a brand new version rewritten to reflect recent events surrounding the UK's decision to leave the European Union.

With not just his London Mayoralty but also his Tory party leadership bid consigned to history, Britain's favourite comedy politician casts himself in another leading role: the star of his own Edinburgh Fringe show! This gaffe-a-minute comedy sees the thinking man's idiot wobbling through personal and political events in a post-Brexit victory United Kingdom. 'Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in lilies,' as Boris might say. 'The times are changing, and we change with them.'

Writer Tom Crawshaw says: "Our show included a fantasy future section where Britain voted to leave the EU but Boris mysteriously chose not to stand as leader. As satire increasingly becomes reality, some rewriting will be required. Not least because it no longer seems insane that Boris might actually stage an Edinburgh show now he has a free summer".

Actor David Benson says: "Last year, when we played BORIS: WORLD KING to sell-out houses, Bojo was still Mayor of London and leading contender for Cameron Minor's successor as PM. But in the new world of 2016, what more likely place for Boris to pitch up with a career-reviving Fringe show? As Tom's script suggests, Boris' surest weapon is his ability to make us laugh. Our job as satirists is to reveal the truth behind his jokes."

This rollicking tale packs in pay-as-you-go bikes, wiff-waff, and an ancient Greek lecture for good measure. Before long, verbal slips, trips and divine interruption cue a new battle - for his very political existence. Boris Johnson: politician, columnist, biographer, TV personality, eighth cousin of David Cameron, and one of GQ magazine's Worst Dressed Men.

David Benson stars as Boris Johnson. He is best known for his many solo shows including the Fringe First award-winning Think No Evil of Us: My Life With Kenneth Williams and Lockerbie: Unfinished Business. He played the Head Waiter in the original National Theatre production One Man, Two Guvnors with James Corden, completing over one thousand performances. Recent appearances include Doctor Who, as Frankie Howerd in the BBC Radio 4 play Frankie Takes a Trip, as Dracula with the Fitzrovia Radio Hour (Mercury, Colchester) and Nurse Nellie Nightshift in Sleeping Beauty (Theatre Royal Winchester). He played Noel Coward in the BBC series Goodnight Sweetheart and is a regular multi-voiced performer in the long-running audio series Iris Wildthyme and The Scarifyers.

Yaz Al-Shaater is a director and filmmaker who trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He's worked with writer Tom Crawshaw since they were teenagers, and is a director of Smooth Faced Gentlemen, the UK's only all-female Shakespeare company. Recent credits include Othello (Underbelly, UK Tour), Not The Messiah (Pleasance, Theatre 503, UK Tour), Titus Andronicus (York Theatre Royal, Greenwich Theatre, Edinburgh), and online sitcom Missing Something.

Tom Crawshaw is an award-winning writer of theatre, radio, film and comedy. Recent theatre includes Not The Messiah (Pleasance Courtyard, Theatre 503 and Out To Lunch, Belfast), Play On Words (Tristan Bates Theatre, UK tour and tours to Texas and Canada) and Around The World In 80 Days (Pavilion Arts Centre, Buxton). Recent radio includes Adventure Time Ltd (podcast) and NewsJack (Radio 4 & 4 Extra).

IF YOU GO:

BORIS: WORLD KING

3 - 29 August 2016 (previews 3 - 5 August; no shows 10, 17 or 24 August)

Running time: 17:40 (60 mins)

Fringe Venue 23: Pleasance Dome Sub-venue: Queen Dome

Tickets £6 - £13 / Box Office : 0131 556 6550 / www.pleasance.co.uk or Fringe: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com

For images and more information, visit www.BorisWorldKing.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.