Stiffed! - Tabard Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
STIFFED!, a new satire about the Whitehall expenses scandal, receives its world premiere at the Tabard Theatre, where it runs from April 14 to May 9, 2010.
Stiffed! follows Quentin Dellaware who has just picked up a Tory seat in a landslide by-election. Keen to make a difference, he is swiftly shown the status quo by his old school chum George Moore-Lys.
Meanwhile, Labour front-bencher Paula Stiff is pressing for a fairer Britain with the help of her husband-cum-aide Marty whose real passion is toy trains.
Which would all be politics as usual except that young Sally Pauper, an aspiring journalist, aims to make her mark by uncovering the biggest parliamentary story since the gunpowder plot.
Written by John Higginson and Clodagh Hartley, Stiffed! is described as a riotous satire that gives a sneak peak into the inner workings of parliament, the press and politicians.
Higginson, Political Editor for Metro, has been working inside parliament since Gordon Brown took office. He had the scoop on exposing the notorious shoe bomber, was first to tell the world that Britney Spears was married (for a second time) and wrote an expose that forced Eleanor Laing MP to repay back £20,000 in expenses.
Hartley, Whitehall Editor for the Sun, has been based in the House of Commons before, during and after the expenses scandal.
Together, Higginson and Hartley have pooled their inside knowledge and written an hilarious account of the breaking of the scandal and how all sides of the political divide tried to cope.
Directed by Dan Herd, Stiffed! has set and costume design by Chris Hone and lighting and sound design by Natalie Walker.
Tickets: £14, £12 concessions – available from the box office on 08448 472264 or at www.tabardtheatre.co.uk
Times: 7:30pm, 4pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday.