Getting historical and comical in new Loft show

The Hollow Crown was created by John Barton in 1961 for the Royal Shakespeare Company as a celebratory entertainment – but proved to be one of the most successful productions the company has staged.

It follows the troubled and oft-grafted family tree of the English, then British, monarchy, offering a cornucopia of speeches, letters, gossip and music, tracing history over a period of 800 years, from William the Conqueror to Queen Victoria.

Under the direction of Richard Moore, the ensemble cast perform pieces by Thackeray, Shakespeare, a very dour James I, and Sir Thomas Malory, plus a teenage Jane Austen with a crush on Mary Queen of Scots.

Richard said: “It has been such a pleasure to bring Hollow Crown to the Loft stage.

“The last time we staged it, we had to perform it in the Urquhart Hall behind the parish church - our refuge when the original theatre was destroyed in a disastrous fire. This anthology of songs and readings may be 55 years old, but the history of our monarchs is still a captivating and colourful tale”.

The Hollow Crown runs at the Loft from September 23 to 26, with a performance each evening at 7.30pm.

Tickets can be booked online at any time via the Loft website (www.loft-theatre.co.uk) or by calling 0844 493 4938 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

In addition, the box office will be open from 6.45pm to 8.30pm on Monday and Tuesday and on each performance evening.

There is also a special offer of £5 tickets for under-25s for performances on September 24 and 25. Book by phone or online.