Master of the one-man show Pip Utton brings his highly acclaimed theatrical transformations ‘Adolf’ and ‘Chaplin’ to three village halls on the Artsreach circuit, kicking off this Saturday 18th Oct with Adolf at Burton Bradstock Village Hall. Pip Utton’s one-man shows recreate fascinating portrayals of well-known figures.
Adolf
‘Adolf’ is a dramatisation of the final moments of the world's most hated dictator… with a twist. Utton's extraordinary invocation delivers us an acute anatomy of fascism, with its ideological justifications and poisoned utopias. We are in the presence of an utterly compelling idealist being helplessly drawn in to his warped logic when suddenly… Hitler's final performance is over as he settles into pre-suicidal contemplation, but Utton has reserved a sting for his tale. This show has been described as ‘powerful, challenging and divisive, illustrative and educational, utterly provocative and totally necessary – everyone should experience it’. Adolf was first seen at the Fringe in 1997 for which Pip won his first nomination for The Stage Best Actor. In 1998, Guy Masterson redirected it and it has since toured worldwide becoming one of the most successful solo shows of the last decade.
Chaplin
‘Chaplin’ is Pip’s most recent offering, following his acclaimed portrayals of Hitler, Francis Bacon and Roy Orbison. Focussing on a true genius of the cinema, Utton now explores Chaplin’s life behind the façade of his character the ‘Tramp’ – the creation which made him the highest paid actor of his time. Using film, Charlie is able to step in and out of the screen, before he walks off into the distance. Chaplin is a captivating exposure of the life of one the only men in history to produce, direct, edit, perform in and compose the score for his own films.