Cell Mates (play)

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Cell Mates is a play by Simon Gray. It opened at the Albery Theatre, London on 17 February 1995, starring Stephen Fry and Rik Mayall, with Gray himself directing. Fry left the production after three days; his understudy, Simon Ward, stepped in but the production closed on 25 March 1995.

In 2005, Gray released an autobiographical account of the production, called Fat Chance.

[edit] Plot

It is about a man named George Blake, who has been convicted for spying for the Russians and sentenced to forty-two years, and fellow prisoner, Sean Burke. Burke helped Blake escaped to Moscow, after which Blake did not want to let him return to his native Ireland.

[edit] Controversy

In 1995, Stephen Fry famously walked out of the play at the beginning of its West End run, after a bad review in the Financial Times for his performance. It was reported at the time that he suffered an attack of stage fright, but he has since disclosed that it was bipolar disorder. He ran away, leaving only an apology. Fry walked out of the production for good, provoking its early closure, and incurring the disgust of his fellow actor, Rik Mayall. He vanished, and contemplating suicide, he disappeared off to Belgium. According to his official website, "the experience still haunts him, but the depression has now faded to embarrassment and the anger to forgiveness."