This June, Tacit Theatre will present its new production of Justin Butcher's fantastic one-man show, Scaramouche Jones, Or the Seven White Masks.

Venue: The Waggon & Horses

Tickets:
Dinner and show £19.95
Show only £7.00

The production is set to take place in the Green Room, a new intimate venue at the newly refurbished Waggon and Horses pub in Surbiton. Tacit has created a unique theatrical space, into which comes Scaramouche Jones, a charismatic 99 year-old clown with a wealth of stories to tell from his journey through the ups and downs of the twentieth century. We meet our narrator as the festivities begin on millennium eve, his 100th birthday, and the night of his final and most important performance. He relates his birth at the turn of the 20th century in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, tells of his childhood in slavery, his rambling across Saharan Africa, his gypsy life in Milan, and his eventual arrival in London, the home of his mysterious English father. Along the way he meets a spectrum of characters, each with their own profound effect on his life.

The play is all at once individual and revelatory. Justin Butcher's elegiac prose conveys the seminal events of the twentieth century through the eyes of a frank witness; Scaramouche's trials are personal experiences that we engage with on a profoundly human level. Our preconceptions of history melt away, and we become immersed in a truly entertaining theatrical tour-de-force.

Tom Daplyn in the eponymous role carries the burdens and joys of the aged traveller with commanding effect, bringing us humour and sorrow in the space of an episode. As the character removes his outer disguises, he reveals the loves, triumphs and tragedies that gave him his white masks. This is a huge achievement for the actor, who is understandably excited to be undertaking such a challenging role. Tom has starred in many Tacit Theatre productions, as well as undertaking other demanding roles such as Dorian in the Picture of Dorian Grey with the Bury Theatre Royal.

This is veteran director Jonathan Constant's first Tacit production. His directing credits include Peter Shaffer's Amadeus and, most recently, Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters at the CornerHouse. The result of this collaboration is an intricate, riveting performance of the clown's moving swansong.

The play was brilliantly received when it premiered at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2001, starring Pete Postlethwaite, being described as:

"a piece of such memorable theatre that it reverberates in your memory long after the clown has pulled his final funny face."
-Irish Independent.

This is a new direction for Kingston's Tacit Theatre, following the success of last winter's Canterbury Tales. Tacit is a company devoted to creating popular, high quality shows for the widest possible audience and firmly believes that good theatre can be entertaining whilst maintaining artistic integrity and intellectual rigour.

This is also a new venture for the Waggon and Horses, recently taken over by brother and sister duo Stephen and Mary King. Tacit are excited to work in the newly refurbished pub, which can trace its history back to 1807. They believe that this is the first time that theatre has been produced here in its 200 year history. The Waggon and Horses are offering a special pre and post show menu, details of which can be found on the Tacit Theatre website.

Tickets go on sale May 16th online and any remaining tickets will be available from June 1st from the Waggon and Horses or from the Tourist Information centre in Kingston Marketplace. Given the high level of interest that this show has already generated, these performances are likely to sell out, so pre-booking is essential. For more information and to book tickets visit: www.tacittheatre.co.uk.