Mr Foote's Other Leg (NHB Modern Plays)

In Georgian London no one is more famous than Samuel Foote. Satirist, impressionist and dangerous comedian, friend of David Garrick and Dr Johnson, he is a bona fide celebrity in an age obsessed with fame. He even has the ear of the King. But when Foote finds himself at the centre of a media storm - and under the surgeon's knife - there's only one question on everyone's lips: does fame make you mad? Based on Ian Kelly's award-winning biography, Mr Foote's Other Leg is a riotously funny play exploring our obsession with celebrities, through the true story of the Oscar Wilde of the eighteenth century. It premiered at Hampstead Theatre in September 2015, in a production directed by Richard Eyre and featuring Simon Russell Beale as Foote. 'Written with panache and wit - as lively and entertaining a historical biography as you are ever likely to read' Sunday Times on Ian Kelly's biography of Samuel Foote