Armistead Maupin – Photo from Theatre Royal

AN EVENING WITH ARMISTEAD MAUPIN/ED BYRNE

An author who helped define Seventies American gay lifestyle and one of the UK’s favourite observational comedians are both on their way to Norwich Theatre Royal.

The bestselling, much-loved author and LGBT activist Armistead Maupin has announced his first ever UK tour this autumn which includes the Norwich performance on Monday 30 September

Meanwhile the stand-up, TV and radio favourite Ed Byrne has confirmed a Theatre Royal date on February 4, 2020.
Tickets have gone on sale to Friends of the Theatre and go on public sale on Thursday May 2 at 9.30am.

Armistead Maupin, who is renowned as one of America’s ultimate storytellers, will recount his favourite tales from the past four decades offering his own engaging observations on society and the world we inhabit.

Maupin has been blazing a trail through US popular culture since the Seventies when his iconic and ground breaking series Tales of the City was first published as a column in the San Francisco Chronicle. The series encompasses eight hugely popular novels: Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City, Babycakes, Significant Others, Sure of You, Michael Tolliver Lives, Mary Ann in Autumn and The Days of Anna Madrigal. The series has been taking the literary world by storm, and is currently being adapted by Netflix into a much-anticipated new series starring Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis and Ellen Page.
His 1992 novel, Maybe the Moon, which followed the serio-comic adventures of a dwarf actress working in Hollywood, was named one of the ten best books of the year by Entertainment Weekly. The Night Listener 2000, a psychological suspense novel inspired by an eerie episode in Maupin’s own life, became a 2006 feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette. In 2017 he wrote a memoir titled Logical Family which grew out of his critically acclaimed one-man show of the same name.
Armistead has won numerous awards including the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Publishing Triangle of New York, the Lambda’s Pioneer Award (which is bestowed on individuals who have broken new ground in the field of LGBT literature and publishing) and the Visionary Award from the 2014 Outfest Legacy Awards for his collected novels. Maupin is also the subject of a new documentary titled Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin. He lives with his husband, Christopher Turner, a photographer.

Ed Byrne

Meanwhile Ed Byrne is promising to take a long hard look at himself and decide if he has any traits worth passing on to his children in his 2020 show entitled If I’m Honest.
He is describing it as a brand new masterclass in observational comedy and it follows his previous touring hit Spoiler Alert!A household name on TV, Ed has appeared on Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week, The Pilgrimage, Top Gear and QI in the past year.
The former student welfare officer who later set up his own Glasgow comedy club has also developed a huge overseas following having played to capacity audiences in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Bermuda and more.
He has also made several appearances at the prestigious Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, performed at the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and made a number of appearances on NBC’s Late Night With Conan O’Brien.
John Bultitude, of Norwich Theatre Royal, said: “Armistead Maupin’s writing and rich characterisation has delighted and enthralled for many years and this will be a fantastic opportunity to welcome a true literary legend.
“Meanwhile Ed’s witty and laidback delivery mixed with his wry look at life will make his visit a must-see comedy event.”

 

Listing:
In Conversation With Armistead Maupin, Monday 30 September at 7.30pm. Tickets £10-£27.
Ed Byrne, Tuesday February 4 at 8pm. Tickets £10-£26.

To book, log onto www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk or call the box office on 01603 630000.