Sex, food and the King – the three greatest pleasures in the world meet in this philosophical farce by Lee Hall, writer of Billy Elliot and Bollocks.

Two years after an Elvis Presley impersonator is left quadriplegic by a car accident, his wife and daughter learn to cope with the aftermath of the situation. The teenager uses her culinary ‘skills’ to find meaning in the new family dynamics. Constant squabbles with her anorexic mother reach new heights as they fight over the grown up’s promiscuous lifestyle. Meanwhile, a new lover enters the picture.

Elvis’ musical glam and visceral wisdom shines throughout. The result is the most dark-humoured, sentimentalist of tales that will stick with you long after you stop clapping.

Emilia Teglia directs this Tower Theatre production.

From 23 February 2016 at Theatro Technis, Camden

 

Review by Michael Coveney

What’s On Stage 3 March 2016

“The performance was superb: better than good, less than tremendous, but still superb. And it’s still shocking, sexy stuff, even fifteen years after comedian Frank Skinner bared his buttocks as the witless cake-maker who provides vigorous rumpy-pumpy for both the sex-starved wife of a quadriplegic former Elvis impersonator – who leaps out of his wheelchair to perform several items from the King’s Las Vegas repertoire – and their borderline obese daughter.

There’s also a pet tortoise, which is baked in a pie and served up for Stu’s supper – a clear case of “Tortoise Andronicus” said Sheridan Morley first time round – and a series of physical encounters covering the waterfront: every possible genital engagement and a climactic deed of masturbation mercy.

And in the role of the obese daughter, Olivia Baker gave a performance so touching and true that you’d never stoop to describing her as an amateur; her programme credits list Ruth in Blithe Spirit and Catherine in A View from the Bridge, and she could have played either role, no problem, on the West End stage.”