The Performer - part 1/2

Like many adolescents, Matthew lives in a fantasy land.

Stephen Fry stars in a two-part monologue.

Written by William Humble

But whilst other 13-year-old boys loved John Lennon or Mick Jagger, Matthew’s top of the pops is Laurence Olivier.

He's always been intrigued by the story of his father getting stuck in London and going to the theatre to see the great Sir Laurence in Terence Rattigan’s play The Sleeping Prince.

Surprising, because In fact, as Matthew and his doting mother observe, Dad just goes to work and comes home again.

But one day Dad vanishes and Matthew starts to wonder if it might have something to do with the night he went to the theatre.

When father and son finally meet again, Matthew discovers things that shock him initially and then threaten his relationship with his mother.

A play about family, father-son relationships and theatre itself, especially English theatre from the 1950s onwards. Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Terence Rattigan feature heavily, and a number of other theatre figures are evoked too, from Max Miller to Noel Coward and Dora Bryan.

Director: Celia de Wolff

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2021.