Backstairs Billy by Marcelo Dos Santos
An irreverent comedy about the fifty-year relationship between the Queen Mother and her most loyal, most outrageous servant. Premiered in the West End in 2023.'The best royal drama in a decade.. Abounding with witty entertainment and curiosity value, it confirms the promise shown by Marcelo Dos Santos'
* Telegraph *'Nothing has made me laugh more... it's the funniest play Ive seen this year'
* Sunday Times *'Gleefully subversive and unexpectedly hard-hitting, with some great one-liners'
* Time Out *'Smart and shrewd... the most unusual depiction of an unlikely duo since Judi Dench crossed wits with Billy Connolly in Mrs Brown... by turns devastating and delicious'
* Arts Desk *'Plays like a cross between The Crown and X-rated PG Wodehouse'
* The Times *'An early festive delight... makes The Crown look too careful'
* Independent *'Bubblingly witty, with many great one-liners'
* Financial Times *'A comedy of manners with a sprinkling of farce, conducted in cut-glass bon mots and bitchy sideswipes'
* The Stage *'Full of zinging one-liners and laugh-out-loud moments... Every joke lands with the precision of a targeted missile, always suggesting the sharpness behind the smile... has all the trappings of a West End hit... Dos Santos is undoubtedly a talented writer, with a distinctive voice and a welcome wit'
* WhatsOnStage *'Deliciously frothy... consistently funny and entertaining'
* Evening Standard *'Fascinating... the writing has sophistication... the Queen Mother would have loved it'
* Guardian *'A frisky frolic that is more than just a caper... Marcelo Dos Santos's play glances at a country on the cusp of Thatcherite change... full of ricocheting puns... the conversation pings electrically'
* Observer *'A rip-roaring comedy... uproariously funny... a fascinating insight to the inner workings of that famous family'
* Theatre Weekly *'Very funny... nicely balances palace gossip with broader ideas about class, power, and way that tradition can both comfort and stifle'
* London Theatre *'A sympathetic, subtle portrayal of a uniquely fascinating relationship, full of deliciously arch banter... a right royal laugh that will delight'
* Chortle *'Simply delightful... wonderful... an unexpectedly touching tale of genuine connection... pure entertainment at its finest. Dos Santos folds in a healthy dollop of heart and politics for good measure, but make no mistake; this production is first and foremost an absolute feel-good gem'
* Reviews Hub *'Very funny and likely to tickle even the most reluctant royalists in the audience'
* Culture Whisper *Marcelo Dos Santos’s other plays include the award-winning Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen, which transferred to the Bush Theatre, London, after wowing the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and receiving rave reviews: ‘Blending dark humour, pathos and a hearty dash of millennial angst, [this] deserves to be the next Fleabag... the gag-count is ridiculously high and the writing overall has a Bennettian finesse... it’s enviably accomplished’ (Telegraph)
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781839042799 |
| ISBN 10 | 1839042796 |
| Title | Backstairs Billy |
| Author | Marcelo Dos Santos |
| Series | Nhb Modern Plays |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Nick Hern Books |
| Year published | 2023-11-16 |
| Number of pages | 112 |
| Prizes | Joint winner of Most Promising Playwright, Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2024 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |