A Dish of Tea with Dr Johnson Tickets

One of Britain’s most famous and well respected literary men is to be the object of an exciting new drama that is coming to the Arts Theatre.  A Dish of Tea With Dr Johnson is a look at the life and times of the man said to be the greatest scholar of English and English Literature that ever lived.  Though he is known in posterity for his keen mind and sharp wit, which translated into a penetrating insight for the world’s great works of literature, he was also said in life to be a fascinating character in his own right.  From the writings of James Boswell, his biographer and younger friend, a picture emerges of a puzzling and enigmatic character who was as vibrant and beguiling as the literature he so loved.  This new play promises to be a delightful peek back through history into one of it’s most fascinating characters: make sure you book your tickets now to avoid missing out.

The play has been developed by the two principal actors, Russel Barr and Ian Redford, and the director Max Stafford Clark, from the writings of James Boswell.  Boswell was nearly half the age of his older friend, but the two formed one of the great bromances of British history.  It is Boswell’s ‘Life of Samuel Johnson’, the biography that went to establish Johnson as such an enduring celebrity, and his ‘Journal of the Tour to the Hebrides’, which described their wanderings around a rapidly changing Scotland, that form the meat of the play’s material.  From this the company have constructed a touching and believable narrative that brings the two men into vivid perspective, allowing you to take a step back in time.

Ian Redford plays the title role with an obvious relish at the many opportunities it presents.  Russell Barr plays the part of Boswell, along with many of the other characters that Johnson meets, morphing seamlessly between roles as diverse as Flora McDonald (the heroine of the Skye Boat Song) and the King of England.  Trudie Styler adds some romance to the plot by playing Mrs Thrale, the woman that Johnson loved.

With director Max Stafford Clark at the helm, this piece promises to be rich in thought provoking quality.  The joint founder of the Joint Stock Theatre Company, he was also the Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre during the 80’s, where he helped the careers of such writers as Hanif Kureishi and Jim Cartwright.