Mark Thomas stars in England & Son
‘Any nation that devours another will one day devour itself’. Prepare to be taken on a kaleidoscopic odyssey where disaster capitalism, empire, stolen youth, and stolen wealth merge into the simple tale of a working-class boy who just wants his dad to smile at him.
England & Son was written specifically for Mark by award-winning playwright Ed Edwards, whose previous play The Political History of Smack and Crack garnered great critical acclaim in 2018. This is Mark’s first-ever tour in a production that he has not written himself.
With some deep, dark laughs – and some deep, dark love – along the way, this is a one-man play based on characters from Mark’s own childhood as well as Ed’s personal experience in jail.
Having garnered five-star reviews and even more awards this Fringe, Mark is now as reputed in theatre as he is in comedy. He’s done shows about visiting the West Bank, starting a comedy club in Jenin, espionage, lobbying Parliament, walking in the footsteps of the highest NHS officials, playing at The Royal Opera House, stopping arms deals, and creating manifestos.
He had six series of The Mark Thomas Comedy Product on Channel 4, several television documentaries and radio series, written some books, grabbed a Guinness World Record, toured sell-out tours, won numerous awards, nabbed himself a Medal of Honour, and succeeded in changing some laws along the way. He has most recently been awarded his London bus pass, an honour he is possibly prouder of than any of the above. Cressida Brown directs the show.
Ed Edwards
So, Ed started his creative career as a circus performer but stopped at the age when you start to think, “This is actually dangerous”. Ed now juggles a writing career, lecturing, making films, and child-rearing. The latter being far more potentially injurious than slack-rope walking because these are two boys who share a love of violence.
Virtually illiterate at the age of eleven, Ed eventually managed to educate himself, get to university, and become a professional writer. He is now only one-third illiterate.
He did three-and-a-half years in prison in the early 90s for drugs offences where he published his first novel. He has now published five novels, a children’s book, and worked for several continuing TV dramas including Holby City and the now defunct Brookside and The Bill, though he maintains his having worked for these shows isn’t why they died.
With several original plays broadcast on Radio 4 as well as short films on Channel 4 and BBC2, Ed has recently turned to guerrilla film-making and has recently directed a number of short films and co-directed and produced the feature film Scrambled. His most recent play The Political History of Smack and Crack garnered critical acclaim nationwide. He misses the Soviet Union and Fidel Castro. He also loves making jam and writing about himself in the third person.
Links
Mark Thomas brings his show to Liverpool’s Unity Theatre on Thursday 26 October and Friday 27 October. For ticket information, please click here.
For a full list of tour dates, please visit https://markthomasinfo.co.uk.
For more information on Mark Thomas and Ed Edwards, please contact Bex by calling 07747 055227 or by emailing bexcolwell@yahoo.com.
