In Georgian London no one is more famous than Samuel Foote. Satirist, impressionist and dangerous comedian, friend of David Garrick and Dr Johnson, he is a bona fide celebrity in an age obsessed with fame. He even has the ear of the King.
But when Foote finds himself at the centre of a media storm – and under the surgeon’s knife – there’s only one question on everyone’s lips: does fame make you mad?
Based on Ian Kelly’s award-winning biography, Mr Foote’s Other Leg is a riotously funny play exploring our obsession with celebrities, through the true story of the Oscar Wilde of the eighteenth century. It premiered at Hampstead Theatre in September 2015, in a production directed by Richard Eyre and featuring Simon Russell Beale as Foote.
‘Written with panache and wit – as lively and entertaining a historical biography as you are ever likely to read’ Sunday Times on Ian Kelly’s biography of Samuel Foote
‘Delightful… the wit starts flowing from the first scene’
— Telegraph
‘A ripely entertaining portrait of an eccentric, forgotten celebrity and the scandalous allure of the stage’
— Evening Standard
‘Witty and engaging… perceptive and humane, capable of moments of real tenderness, a celebration of the strange electricity of theatre’
— The Stage
‘Very, very funny… for a play with so many laughs, it also brims with insight and fascinating observations about culture and politics, both personal and public’
— BritishTheatre.com
