Out of the Margins

The Play What I Wrote is a great celebration of the British comedy double act, Morecambe and Wise, and an irreverent and farcical exploration of the nature of double acts in general. It is named after the”the play wot I wrote”, a series of inept plays, supposedly written by a proud Ernie Wise, and featuring a celebrity guest which formed the finale to each Morecambe and Wise show. In The Play What I Wrote, "Sean" writes a similarly inept play and is humoured by "Hamish" in the first half by having it performed. As in the Morecambe and Wise antecedent, the celebrity would play him or herself set up to appear, rather foolishly, as the title character of this play within a play. Celebrities who appeared as the mystery guest during the show's London run included Ralph Fiennes (who appeared on opening night), Ewan McGregor, Bob Geldof, Cilla Black and Sue Johnston, Kevin Kline, Roger Moore, Alan Alda, Jeff Goldblum and Daniel Radcliffe were among those who appeared in the Broadway run.