Berkoff Brings Solo One Man to Riverside Studios

Steven Berkoff will bring his double bill of one-man plays One Man to the Riverside Studios from 12 to 23 April 2011 before curating a season of solo performances later in the year.

Veteran actor, writer and director Berkoff will present the show, a social satire comprising two of his solo pieces, Dog and Tell Tale Heart. The performance is billed as exploring the murky themes of “murder, masculinity and insanity”.

Dog, Berkoff’s 1994 play which was first performed at the Etcetera Theatre in 1996 is the story of an amusing day in the life of a football hooligan and his pit bull terrier, Roy. Berkoff will play both the skinhead and the dog, reacting to his master’s cruel but sometimes loving antics. Described in marketing material as a “blistering indictment of the worst of British society”, the play examines violence among football fans.

Tell Tale Heart is a captivating tale of dementia and murderous compulsion, adapted by Berkoff from a 1843 short story by Edgar Allan Poe. A gothic tale of horror, it is told by a man who stands alone in a spotlight, protesting sanity while he explains how he systematically went about killing and dismembering a neighbour whose “vulture eye” offended him. He goes on to explain how his perfect crime went astray.

Perhaps best known for his performance as General Orlov in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy, Berkoff has also played villains in Rambo: First Blood Part II, Beverly Hills Cop and playing Adolf Hitler in the 1988 mini-series War and Remembrance.

Berkoff’s other one-man plays include Shakespeare’s Villains, a “masterclass in evil”, which was nominated for the 1998 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment following its first run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Harry’s Christmas (1985) and Actor (1994). One Man has previously been performed combining Dog and Tell Tale Heart with Actor.

His recent West End credits include his own stage adaptation of the Marlin Brando film On the Waterfront which played a limited season at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in spring 2009.

A season of one-man shows titled “Berkoff Presents”, which he will curate, will play the Riverside Studios in June.