Heathcote Williams’ The Local Stigmatic will appear at the Old Red Lion Theatre to mark its 50th Anniversary, it has been announced. 

This is a powerful and shocking play which is a study of psychosis, fame, obsession and envy.

Graham and Ray are two working class sociopaths who idly spend their days gambling on the dogs, debating, bickering, and reading the newspaper gossip columns. A chance encounter with a mildly famous actor reveals their true psychotic nature as the pair begin to play a cruel and manipulative game. Misfits, disturbed, damaged and broken by their social boundaries, Graham and Ray then choose to take their animosity towards this individual to the very brink, culminating in a truly horrifying conclusion.

Although the play is darkly comical, it also reveals society’s obsession with ‘celebrity’ and how it can provoke resentment.

The production is directed by Michael Toumey, who said: “The Local Stigmatic speaks volumes about a society that still exists today.  Certain factions on the one hand relishing in celebrity culture, whilst, on the other, often resenting what they themselves will never have – fame, status, and privilege.”

The Local Stigmatic was originally staged at The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in 1966 before transferring to The Royal Court in the same year. The play was consequently made into a film in 1990 with Al Pacino both producing and playing the role of Graham.

The Local Stigmatic will play at the Old Red Lion Theatre from the 3rd to the 28th May. For more information and to book tickets visit: http://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/the-local-stigmatic.html.