The Rose Theatre is making a bold move in following up the commerical and critical success of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a revival of Joe Penhall’s comparatively little known 2005 play, Dumb Show.

The play, which opens on April 1, tells the story of a comedian (played by Sanjeev Bhaskar of Goodness Gracious Me fame) caught in a tabloid sting and the Rose Theatre’s artistic director, Stephen Unwin, said he had a good reason for choosing it to follow Sir Peter Hall and Judi Dench’s Dream.

“Dream has been marvellous, but I wanted the next thing the Rose did to be contemporary,” he explains.

“I have got a couple of new plays that I’d love to do but a new play that has never been seen before is a bigger risk than doing Dumb Show, because it might not work.

“Dumb Show has got a track record and I know it stands up.

“I also love the play and I’m interested in the questions it asks about the relationship between celebrity culture and tabloid journalism.”

For this new production, Penhall has done a number of re-writes to reflect the fact that Bhaskar’s character is Asian and Unwin says that it is a testament to the playwright’s talent, that his study of our celebrity-obsessed times continues to be relevant.

“The rewrite makes the production more than just a revival – it is a re-telling of the play,” he adds.

“What Joe does brilliantly is have a pop at the crudest journalisitic conventions, but it also shows it is a symbiotic relationship and the celebrity needs it as well.”

Unwin says working on Dumb Show in the reh- earsal room with Penhall, Bha- skar and the other two cast members, Dexter Fletcher and Emma Cunliffe, has helped the company uncover some of the play’s hidden depths.

He adds: “It is also about these three complex, lonely human beings stuck in a postmodern hell.”

Dumb Show, Rose Theatre, Kingston, April 1-17, tickets cost from £10-£25. Visit rosetheatrekingston.org for more details.