Roy Smiles Explained

Roy Smiles
Birth Place:London, England
Occupation:Dramatist, playwright, songwriter
Yearsactive:1987–present
Website:https://roysmiles.bandcamp.com

Roy Smiles (born 1966) is a singer-songwriter & playwright from Ealing, London. He is also an occasional actor.

Smiles has written 27 theatre plays, the best known of which is Kurt and Sid, a 2009 London West End production about the fictional meeting of Sid Vicious and Kurt Cobain, starring Danny Dyer & Shaun Evans.[1]

He has released ten albums of songs:[2] Drunks & Dreamers,[3] Time's Moving On,[4] Seize The Day,[5] Autumn Song,[6] Bremen,[7] The Trains & The Rain,[8] Northern Angels,[9] Lost Souls,[10] [11] November's Child,[12] [13] and Tales Of The Oceans.[14] [15]

He has also released ten compilations of his songs: London Hymns,[16] Winter's Child,[17] Clancy's Song,[18] If Summer Comes,[19] Ballads Of The Thames,[20] Child Of Two Rivers,[21] Go Gently (Best Of),[22] A Land Called Home (Best Of II),[23] Forty Big Hits [24] and 40 More Big Hits.[25]

Career

His first play staged in 1992 at the Battersea Arts Centre, Schmucks[26] was about a fictitious meeting between Groucho Marx and Lenny Bruce.

The Promised Land, a play commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of V.E Night and set on the same night, was staged at the Kings Head Theatre in 1995.[27]

Smiles' stage plays focus largely on biographical subjects such as Albert Camus (The Weight Of Days), Evelyn Waugh (Waugh In Winter), Marilyn Monroe/Arthur Miller (Reno),[28] George Orwell (Year of the Rat),[29] Tony Hancock (The Lad Himself)[30] & Robert F. Kennedy (The Last Pilgrim).[31]

A number of his plays have debuted or transferred to theatres around the world, such as Pythonesque,[32] the story of the Monty Python team, which opened in South Africa in 2008 before moving to Edinburgh as part of the Fringe Festival in 2009.[33]

The Boys Of Summer - his play set in a HIV ward was staged at the Old Red Lion in 1995, with Ian Bartholomew.[34]

Stand Up - his play about the London stand-up comedy scene was staged at the Old Red Lion in 1999, with Lucy Davies. It was revived at The Kings Head Theatre in 2006 under the title The Ho-Ho Club directed by Karl Howman and starring Sally Lindsay.[35] [36]

Bombing People - a farce about the Enola Gay, was staged at the Jermyn Street Theatre in 2000, with Michael Fitzgerald.[37]

Sick Dictators - a farce about Chilean dictator General Pinochet, was staged at the Jermyn Street Theatre in 2001, directed by James Bolam.[38]

In 2002 he played the role of Itzak Heller, a Jewish collaborator, in Roman Polanski's Oscar winning Best Picture The Pianist.[39]

Ying Tong - A Walk with the Goons, the story of Spike Milligan's nervous breakdown whilst writing The Goon Show, was staged at West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2004, transferring the following year to the New Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End before touring the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.[40] [41]

Year Of The Rat - his play about George Orwell's attempt to woo wife-to-be Sonia Brownell whilst writing 1984 was staged at West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2007, with Hugo Speer as Orwell.[42]

Good Evening - about the Beyond The Fringe team was broadcast on Radio 4 in 2008, with Benedict Cumberbatch as Dudley Moore.[43]

The Last Pilgrim - about Senator Robert F. Kennedy's doomed campaign for the American Presidency was staged in London in 2010.[44]

The Lad Himself - his play about self loathing radio & TV comedian Tony Hancock was staged at the Edinburgh Festival in 2013.[45]

Memories Of A Cad - his radio play about actor Terry-Thomas dealing with Parkinson's Disease was broadcast on Radio 4 in 2014, with Martin Jarvis as Terry-Thomas & Alistair McGowen as Richard Briers.[46]

Reno - his play about Marilyn Monroe & Arthur Miller's marriage imploding during the making of The Misfits had its world premiere at the Brighton Festival in 2014.[47]

Plum - his play about writer PG Wodehouse's infamous broadcasts from Berlin in WW2 was staged at The Court Theatre in Christchurch in 2014.[48]

Year of the Rat,[49] Ying Tong , Pythonesque and Kurt & Sid are published by Oberon Books.[50]

Funny People, his book on his comedy heroes, was published by Oberon Books in 2016.[51]

Ten Plays by Roy Smiles was published by Oberon Books in 2018. Containing his plays on Albert Camus, Richard Burton, Oscar Wilde/George Bernard Shaw, Evelyn Waugh, Tony Hancock, Lenny Bruce, the Enola Gay, the Iraq War, Marilyn Monroe/Arthur Miller & the 2011 London Riots.[52]

Ying Tong, Pythonesque and Good Evening were broadcast on BBC Radio 4. As were his plays: Dear Arthur Love John,[53] Goodnight From Him[54] and Memories Of A Cad.[55]

The Funny Girls - his play about Barbra Streisand & Joan Rivers rivalry/friendship, was first staged at The Wimbledon Theatre in September 2021.[56] [57]

A Sober October - his biographical memoir on surviving bowel cancer, was published on Amazon Books in 2022.[58]

The Lad Himself - his play about Tony Hancock, had its London premiere at Upstairs At The Gate in Highgate in April 2022.[59]

Forty two of his plays are self-published on Amazon Books.[60]

The Lyrics - his book of the lyrics of his one hundred & forty songs, was published on Amazon Books in November 2023. [61]

40 Big Hits (Volume III) - was released on Spotify in August 2024.

Plays

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Spencer . Charles . Kurt and Sid at the Trafalgar Studios, review . Telegraph.co.uk . 16 September 2009 . 21 January 2017.
  2. Web site: Music | Roy Smiles . Roysmiles.bandcamp.com . 1 June 2013. 21 January 2017.
  3. Web site: Free Music Sharing and Discovery. Audiomack.com.
  4. Web site: Time's Moving On. 1 April 2022. 30 November 2023. Deezer.com.
  5. Web site: Seize the Day. 2 April 2022. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  6. Web site: Autumn Song. 31 May 2022. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  7. Web site: Bremen. 14 July 2022. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  8. Web site: The Trains & the Rain by Roy Smiles. 22 July 2022. 30 November 2023. Apple Music.
  9. Web site: Northern Angels. 24 July 2022. 30 November 2023. Deezer.com.
  10. Web site: Free Music Sharing and Discovery. Audiomack.com.
  11. Web site: Roy Smiles | Jamendo Music | Free music downloads. Jamendo Music.
  12. Web site: November's Child, by Roy Smiles. Roy Smiles. 30 November 2023.
  13. Web site: November's Child. 9 June 2023. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  14. Web site: Tales Of The Oceans, by Roy Smiles. Roy Smiles. 30 November 2023.
  15. Web site: Tales of the Oceans. 4 November 2023. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  16. Web site: London Hymns. 1 May 2017. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  17. Web site: Winter's Child. 1 May 2017. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  18. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clancys-Song-Roy-Smiles/dp/B0728P855D
  19. https://www.amazon.co.uk/If-Summer-Comes-Roy-Smiles/dp/B078325NKH
  20. Web site: Ballads of the Thames. 30 October 2019. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  21. Web site: Child of Two Rivers. 5 June 2021. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  22. Web site: Go Gently (Best Of). 11 January 2021. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  23. Web site: A Land Called Home (Best of II). 15 January 2021. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  24. Web site: 40 Big Hits. 1 January 2022. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  25. Web site: 40 More Big Hits. 16 January 2022. 30 November 2023. Open.spotify.com.
  26. Web site: Schmucks. Bloomsbury.com. 30 November 2023.
  27. Book: The Promised Land: VE Night, 1945: 9798373977159: Books. Amazon.co.uk. 16 January 2023 . Independently published . 979-8-3739-7715-9 . 30 November 2023.
  28. Web site: Reno | Fringe Guru . Brighton.fringeguru.com . 21 January 2017.
  29. News: Alfred Hickling . Theatre review: Year of the Rat / West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds | Stage . . 21 January 2017.
  30. Web site: Review: The Lad Himself, Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14). Scotsman.com. 30 November 2023.
  31. Web site: THE LAST PILGRIM To 23 October. Reviewsgate.com. 30 November 2023.
  32. Web site: Edinburgh Festival 2009: Pythonesque at the Cowbarn, E4's Udderbelly, review. Telegraph.co.uk. 12 August 2009 .
  33. News: Theatre review: Pythonesque . . 2 August 2009. 21 January 2017.
  34. Book: The Boys Of Summer: Little Green Monkey Club: 9798374167870: Books. Amazon.co.uk. 18 January 2023 . Independently published . 979-8-3741-6787-0 . 30 November 2023.
  35. Web site: Theatre review: The Ho-Ho Club at King's Head Theatre. British Theatre Guide. 30 November 2023.
  36. Web site: The Ho-Ho Club : Reviews 2006 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide. Steve. Bennett. Chortle.co.uk. 30 November 2023.
  37. Web site: BOMBING PEOPLE. Nordisk.dk. 30 November 2023.
  38. Web site: Archive for Sick Dictators at Jermyn Street Theatre, London. 2001. [LONDON]]. Uktw.co.uk. 30 November 2023.
  39. Web site: The Pianist (2002) . IMDb.com. 30 November 2023.
  40. News: Michael Billington . Ying Tong, New Ambassadors, London | Stage . . 21 January 2017.
  41. Web site: Charles Spencer . The genius – and the torment – of Spike Milligan . Telegraph.co.uk . 16 February 2005 . 21 January 2017.
  42. News: Year of the Rat . The Guardian . 14 March 2008 . Hickling . Alfred .
  43. Web site: Good Evening - Radio 4 Comedy Drama. British Comedy Guide. 30 November 2023.
  44. Web site: THE LAST PILGRIM To 23 October. . Reviewsgate.com . en-GB.
  45. Web site: The Lad Himself. Dan. Lentell. Fringereview.co.uk. 6 August 2012.
  46. Web site: Memories of a Cad - Radio 4 Comedy Drama . .
  47. Web site: Reno. Paul. Levy. Fringereview.co.uk. 28 May 2015.
  48. Web site: PLUM - A regular wheeze plus facts and irony. Theatreview.org.nz.
  49. Web site: Theatre review: The Year of the Rat at West Yorkshire Playhouse.
  50. Web site: Roy Smiles . Oberonbooks.com . 21 January 2017.
  51. Book: Smiles, Roy . Funny People: My Journey Through Comedy . 9781849430340 . Bloomsbury Academic. 18 October 2011.
  52. Web site: Roy Smiles: 10 Plays. Oberon Books. 18 July 2020.
  53. Web site: Dear Arthur, Love John By Roy Smiles. 30 November 2023. Internet Archive.
  54. Web site: Goodnight From Him - Radio 4 Comedy Drama. British Comedy Guide. 30 November 2023.
  55. Web site: Memories Of A Cad. Bbc.co.uk. 30 November 2023.
  56. Web site: The Funny Girls. Timeandleisure.co.uk. 21 September 2021.
  57. Web site: Review: THE FUNNY GIRLS, New Wimbledon Theatre Studio. Broadwayworld.com.
  58. Book: A Sober October: Bottom Cancer & How To Survive It: 9798862080810: Books. Amazon.co.uk. 21 September 2023 . Independently published . 979-8-8620-8081-0 . 30 November 2023.
  59. Web site: The Lad Himself: Tony Hancock brought to life in funny nostalgic show **. Hamhigh.co.uk. 22 April 2022 .
  60. Web site: Roy Smiles: books, biography, latest update. Amazon.co.uk. 30 November 2023.
  61. Book: The Lyrics: The Lyrics of Roy Smiles .
  62. Web site: Gable . Jeremy . Schmucks . EDGE Philadelphia . 1 December 2008. 8 October 2012.
  63. News: THEATRE / Top of the Town - King's Head, London N1. Independent.co.uk. 22 October 2011.
  64. Web site: Review of The Court Jester . Cix.co.uk . 1 December 1994. 21 January 2017.
  65. News: Theatre: On the Fringe. Independent.co.uk. 21 September 2011.
  66. News: Michael Billington . Ying Tong, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds | Stage . The Guardian . 29 October 2004. 8 October 2012 . London.
  67. Web site: The Ho-Ho Club – King's Head Theatre – Your London Reviews . IndieLondon . 5 November 2006 . 8 October 2012.
  68. Web site: Good Evening: Behind "Beyond the Fringe" Audiobook Roy Smiles . Audible.co.uk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20201028200314/https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Good-Evening-BehindBeyond-the-Fringe-Audiobook/B00740JD3Y . 2020-10-28.
  69. Web site: New Zealand Theatre: theatre reviews, performance reviews . Theatreview . 8 October 2012.
  70. Web site: Danny Dyer Plays Vicious in Kurt & Sid Premiere – – News . Whatsonstage.com . 8 October 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110616081828/http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8831247477600 . 16 June 2011 .
  71. Web site: New Zealand Theatre: theatre reviews, performance reviews . Theatreview . 8 October 2012.
  72. Web site: The Last Pilgrim, by Roy Smiles « Fringe Report . 4 October 2010 . Fringereport.wordpress.com . 8 October 2012.
  73. News: Paul Taylor . Burlesque, Jermyn Street Theatre, London (4/5) – Reviews – Theatre & Dance . The Independent . 2 November 2011. 8 October 2012.
  74. News: Edinburgh 2012: The Lad Himself, Gilded Balloon, review . Telegraph . 23 August 2012. 8 October 2012 . London . Dominic . Cavendish.
  75. Web site: Plum . The Court Theatre . 21 January 2017.
  76. Web site: Reno. Fringereview.co.uk. 28 May 2015.
  77. Web site: Reno . 17 December 2014 . The Latest . 21 January 2017.
  78. Web site: Funny Girls - New Wimbledon Theatre Studio . 23 September 2021 .

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