| Up The Gary | |
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Fri 8th June to Sat 9th June at 8:00pm |
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“Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be Gary Glitter...” This fabulously funny, tender and thought provoking show was written by the Creators of Terrorist! The Musical, a massive hit on the Edinburgh Fringe. Sam's a member of The Gang. For better or for worse. The highest form of flattery is imitation. But what happens when The Leader lets you down? From Top of the Pops to the Bottom of the Barrel, this is The Rise and Fall of an Ordinary Gary Glitter Impersonator. “Glittering triumph.” - The List. |
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| Tickets: £8.5, Concs£7 | Professional |
Bad Penny Theatre is dedicated to creating and developing new work.
Since the company's formation in 2005 by the first graduates of the Contemporary Theatre Practice course at East 15 Acting School, Bad Penny has created four productions and has been short listed for the Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award in 2005 and 2006.
Past productions include: The Whale and The Bird (co-produced with theatre503), Terrorist! The Musical, The Opening and most recent production, Up The Gary, currently on international tour. Bad Penny aims to create political and social-political awareness through every production. For more info about us and our productions, past, present and future, check out our website www.badpennytheatre.com.
Jessica Beck (Artistic Director), Andrew Barren (Associate Director), Greta Clough (Associate Director) and Phil Hewitt (Technical Director).
“Here in the church that is Top of the Pops, surrounded by the Apostles Jimmy Savile, Ed Stuart, Tony Blackburn and Noel Edmonds. Do you take Gary Glitter to be your Rock and Roll hero? I do.”
Up the Gary was conceived and developed under the auspices of Theatre503, by Bad Penny Theatre. The play centres around the life of an ordinary postman from Luton named Sam Barker, who after battling with low confidence, embarks on an exciting journey into the world of glam rock by impersonating the king of glam, Gary Glitter. Sam was only eight when Glitter's first hit ‘Rock 'n Roll Part II’ was number one on the British institution of ‘Top of the Pops’, but became a fan for life. Glitter maintained a magnificent career until 1997, when child pornography was found on his computer. His decline reached new lows when, in November 2005, Glitter was arrested in Vietnam for sleeping with underage girls. Glitter's fall was met with public outcry, what the Times called “a betrayal of nostalgia”. Sam's story mirrors that of Glitter's, when the innocent Sam finds himself guilty by association and undergoes all the retribution that follows, forcing him to question his childhood hero. Very funny, deeply touching, and with musical numbers that make you stamp your feet, Up the Gary was met with tremendous success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2006 and upon its return to London at Theatre503.
“A strong piece of involving theatre.” - The Stage
“A poignant mixture of furtive cultural nostalgia for the Jimmy Savile generation.” - Time Out
The Rondo Theatre is supported by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
