Ken - Hampstead Downstairs - Terry Johnson

[Deleted]

New play about Ken Campbell by Terry Johnson: implication from the website is that Terry Johnson is appearing in this as well, presumably as himself

www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2016/ken/

In 1978 an aspiring young playwright, in a flat-share off the North End Road, is wrestling with a play for the Royal Court. The phone rings. The man on the other end is called Ken and he’s about to teach our hero the pleasures and perils of serendipity…


Terry Johnson treads the boards once more (having avoided them for 35 years) with his new play about the truly original and unclassifiable Ken Campbell - legendary seeker, fearsome goader, and uniquely comedic thinker. KEN is a freewheeling reminiscence of a turbulent and inspiring relationship between two theatrical mavericks.

[paplazaroo]

Is Johnson a 'theatrical Maverick'? I'm a bit young to know much about what he did 30 years ago but his more recent work all seems very safe. Did love hysteria though.

Interesting subject matter, there's a great documentary that Nina Conti made about her relationship with Campbell, he clearly inspired a lot of people!

[mallardo]

Is this the actor Ken Campbell who was in that Fawlty Towers episode about the anniversary party?

[Marwood]

Yes, he was also in In Sickness & In Health (among many other things) - quite interested in seeing this, but it's a bit of a slog getting to Hampstead from where I live, and I've got loads of other things booked over the next few weeks.

[lynette]

I saw Ken Campbell a couple of times. One of them he was doing Macbeth in a patois. It was amazing. Is this thing at Hampstead a play or a one man show?