about this event
Written by Mark Burgess Directed by Simon Downing Produced by Kick In The Head
With Jonathan Coote as Ian Fleming
Kick In The Head follow up recent successes with Old Herbaceous, Fagin?, Three Men in a Boat, Choice Grenfell and Much Ado About Falstaff with a play dedicated to the man who gifted us 007.
Looking out of his window as the rain lashed down during one of those grey austerity-ridden days in post war Britain, Ian Fleming made two of the biggest decisions of his life; to never spend winter in England again and to write the spy story to end all spy stories.
And that is exactly what he did.
It is 1952 and Fleming is putting the finishing touches to the first Bond book, Casino Royale and Bond is with us; the alter ego, an icon of class and everything Fleming aspired to...
The creator of Secret Agent 007, stands before the audience with a Martini in hand and a terrified look in his eyes. At 42 he is about to do the thing he most fears - he is getting married.
Who does he turn to for help? Bond. James Bond.
Jonathan Coote is a regular at The National Theatre and his West End credits include Yes, Prime Minister and The Audience.