No Naughty Bits

Past Event

by Steve Thompson 

16 – 21 January 2017, performances at 7.45pm
Also Saturday 21 January performance at 2.30pm.
Doors open 30 minutes earlier.

In October 1975, Monty Python’s Flying Circus was broadcast in the US … but someone cut out all the naughty bits! Progress Theatre bring to Reading this true(ish) story of what happened when Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam flew to New York to challenge the ABC network and the court case that ensued.

Director Aidan Moran brings this comic tale about comedy to life with a keen eye for the period. The striking set is very suggestive of sets from 1970’s TV and hosts multiple locations, including an airport, the zoo, a hotel room, the offices of ABC television and of course a courtroom. All the accents are American, except for Michael Palin’s character - who has some very ironic remarks about travel, considering the path his TV career took after these events.

No Naughty Bits is by playwright Steve Thompson, a regular writer for TV himself, with episodes contributed to Sherlock and Dr Who among others. The play investigates the nature of comedy, censorship and the complex misunderstandings in Anglo-American relationships. And it’s funny. Mostly.

Cast

Michael Palin – Dan Clarke
Nancy – Kate Shaw
Terry – Alex McCubbin
Osterburg – Matt Tully
Franklin – Emma Sterry
Myers – Trevor Dale
Judge Lasker – Richard Tripp
Fried – Jack Goodman

Director – Aidan Moran

Review: AltReading

Review: Whitley Pump