Lenny Henry’s one-man play August In England comes to London this May. Henry is making his playwright debut with this performance exploring a life impacted by the Windrush scandal. You might be reading this and thinking that New York is the home of theatre. But London holds the crown, not just because of the recent coronation. Lenny Henry has been a household name in Britain for generations. He rose to fame as a stand-up comedian in Britain before moving into more TV and Film work.
Henry was born in Dudley, England and was one of five children. He rose to fame performing stand up comedy, starting out by performing in a number of working men’s clubs. He was most known for his impressionist work, performing popular impressions of Steve Wonder, Denzel Washington, Frank Bruno, Michael Jackson, Cee Lo Green, Wesley Snipes, Idris Elba and Beyonce among a long list of famous names throughout his long career.
Regal Acknowledgement
He has been acknowledged by the Royal Family for his work as he was awarded a CBE in the 1999 New Years honours list. He would go on to be knighted in 2015 for services to drama and charity, becoming Sir Lenny Henry. Henry is now starring in this play in the hope of drawing attention to home many immigrates are treated in the country in the hope of educating people as well as entertaining.
He is no stranger to performing on stage having starred in a much-acclaimed performance of Othello in 2009. Normally known for playing comic relief characters, here he showed his dramatic acting skills. But this is a return to headline role for Henry, who is now 64 and has not been in the limelight as much as he once was.
He will now perform in this one-man play from May 5th to June 10th… Yeah, that’s right, it isn’t actually in August. Is this how January Jones or Earth, Wind and Fire feel for 11 months of the year?
The play will take place at Bush Theatre in West London. The theatre is not in the heart of the west end theatre district in London where most people would look to see a show, giving it its independence and rogue feel. The show is expected to sell many tickets with people having been hugely excited about it. Yet, the best way to kill time to distract yourself before going to see it is dive into online casino table games, where you can explore hundreds of table games, video poker games, and jackpots. Besides, while you’re anticipating the show, you may even score a sizeable reward to make your night even more exciting.
The play is directed by Lynette Linton, Artistic Director at the Bush Theatre since 2019. Lenny Henry is well known for creating and often hosting Comic Relief, an annual televised charity event in which famous faces perform in sketches and recorded segments in the hope of raising money for charity. He created the organisation alongside director and writer Richard Curtis and has raised a huge sum of money for charity so far. While he has been selfless in his work for charity, Henry will hope that this role can give him a bit more personal gain and make him a theatre award winner.
Review of the play.
The description of the play is as follows, “Charming, flawed, and with the gift of the gab, we all know a man like August Henderson. Between his three kids, devoted wife to be and part-time ownership of a fruit and veg shop, he is proud of the life he has built since landing in his beloved West Bromwich. Now he is faced with deportation to a country he has no memory of, he isn’t prepared to go quietly. Listen up, he is ready to tell his own story. Poignant and hilarious in equal measures, August in England gives an insight into the lives impacted by the injustice of the Windrush scandal.” The play received a positive four-star review from the Guardian, who described it as remarkable.
Henry has starred in a number of roles that will have reached around the world such as in Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, Doctor Who and The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists. Most recently Henry played Sadoc Burrows in Amazon Prime’s The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power. He was married to fellow British comedy royalty Dawn French from 1984 to 2010.
Bush Theatre is located in Shepards Bush and is a venue known for giving opportunities to new and emerging writers. They have a proud reputation for discovering, nurturing and producing the best new theatre writing talent from a range of backgrounds. The theatre was described by The Independent as “One of the most experienced prospectors of raw talent in Europe.” The Bush was founded in 1972 and has been involved in work that has travelled across the whole world.
As well as starring in many projects, he has had success as a writer having written five books and worked in audiobook narration.
