Go to see an Alan Bennett play and you almost certainly know that the sub plot is going to be lavatorial. Get past that and usually you have something worth watching and his offering of the life of King George the third is no exception. We have the stage filled with a semicircular maroon staircase that changes shape to accommodate the scenes required of it by the play — impressive and functional.

So what of the play? Never trust the medical profession seems to be the message here, after all they are only practising. What the poor king went through because the causes of his illness was not then known was horrific. Four doctors tried their various pet theories resulting with only discomfort to the king. The courtiers tried to pass on relative information, but it was not listened to. Have you heard that before? Eventually the king recovers to live to a ripe old age with his wife, taking an interest in farming along the way.

Michael Pennington takes the part of the King with great skill. He is attended by Timothy Kightley, Tony Turner, Ian Barritt and Ken Drury as his doctors. Alison Fiske is Queen Charlotte and Stewart Wright and Rufus Wright as the Prince of Wales and Duke of York that the royal parents would like to forget. Paul Raffield, Alastair Cording and David Killick play the government Pitt, Dundas and Thurlow. Julia St John plays Lady Pembroke the Queen’s Mistress of the Robes. Rachel Kavanaugh directs.

This is a piece of theatre for the diehard connoisseur theatre goer and will not be to everyone’s taste. A very quiet audience left the theatre after paying respect to the efforts of the cast as they took their bows. © BA

“The Madness of King George” is in Leeds on the 19th September to the 18th October, 2003.