January 1942. Great Britain is struggling to repel the ariel onslaught as the Luftwaffe batters the country with wave after wave of bombing missions. Yet, somewhere in an English provincial town, there is a determination to boost public morale with defiant performances of Shakespeare’s classic plays. Sir, the last of the great but dying breed of English actor-managers, is in a very bad way tonight. As his dresser, Norman, tries valiantly to prepare him to go on stage as King Lear, Sir is having great difficulty remembering who and where he is, let alone Lear’s lines. So why is he applying black make up? Is his wife, playing Cordelia, light enough to carry on stage? Is the young actress, Irene, a little too keen to polish his crown? And what secret is held by the stage manager, Madge? As the bombs begin to fall can Sir summon the strength for one last great performance?

Both funny and poignant, Ronald Harwood’s highly acclaimed play perfectly captures not only the equivocal relationship between star and dresser but also the backstage world, a tatty Camelot worshipping a prop Holy Grail. In the year that celebrates the 80th anniversary of VE Day what better time is there for a revival of this classic play?

Sturrock Studio, Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre, Upton Cross, Friday 14th November at 7.30pm