Lord Arthur's Bed is a play by English playwright Martin Lewton. The play premiered at the Brighton Festival in on 14 May 2008. It subsequently toured nationally in 2008, and transferred to Dublin in 2009.

Lord Arthur's Bed
Written byMartin Lewton
CharactersDonald
Jim
Date premiered14 May 2008
Place premieredBrighton Festival
Brighton, England
Original languageEnglish
SubjectReliving the lives of Victorian transvestites Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park through the eyes of contemporary gay culture
GenreDrama
Setting2000s; Apartment in London's West End

The play is set in 2008 following the Civil Partnership of the two protagonists, who find themselves living in a house once occupied by Lord Arthur Clinton MP and transvestite Ernest Boulton. It caused some considerable scandal on its opening in Brighton, when the Brighton newspaper "The Argus" led a story on the play with the headline "Sexually Explicit Play to be Staged in Church". As a result, the play sold out throughout its Brighton run.

Characters

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  • Donald
  • Jim

Productions

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The original (2008) tour was produced at the following venues:

In May 2009 the play was performed at the New Theatre in Dublin as part of the 2009 International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival

Cast

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The original (touring) cast was as follows:

At the New Theatre in Dublin in May 2009, the cast was as follows:

At The King's Head in March–April 2010, the cast was as follows:

Awards and nominations

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  • 2009 Michael Mac Liammoir award for best actor: Spencer Charles Noll

References

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  • "Theatre North". Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  • "The Argus". Retrieved 14 June 2009.[permanent dead link]