| Chris Bush | |
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Chris Bush in 2008 |
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| Born | Christopher Daniell Bush 3 July 1986 (Age 25) Sheffield, England |
| Occupation | Playwright, Actor |
| Years active | 2000 - |
Christopher Daniell Bush (Born 3 July 1986 in Sheffield, England) is an award winning British playwright and Artistic Director of White Rose Theatre.[1]
Currently residing in York, England, Chris is best known for his 2007 work TONY! The Blair Musical, which enjoyed sell-out runs and critical acclaim at the York Theatre Royal and Edinburgh Fringe before transferring to the Pleasance Islington as winner of the Sunday Times NSDF's inaugural Edinburgh Fringe Competition for a successful off West-End run. Its sequel, Tony of Arabia, debuted at the Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh in 2008, running in rep with the original show.
Earlier works include Harsh Reality, a winner of The National Young Playwright's Festival in 2000, and the philosophical comedy Man & God, originally written in 2004 and revived in Edinburgh 2006 at the Underbelly.
In November 2009, Bush appeared on an episode of the Channel 4 reality television programme Come Dine With Me. Bush placed joint first and received £500 of the £1000 prize, which according to him equated to a "year's wages in the theatre".[2]
Bush is currently working on a number of projects, including a revival of Lost Soul Music at the Pleasance Islington in Spring 2010 and co-writing the book and lyrics for a new musical with Rock Bottom Operas.
Bush is due to marry his long-term girlfriend in August of 2012.
Contents |
Harsh Reality (2000) New Wimbledon Theatre Studio
Man & God (2004) Rotherham Arts Centre, Underbelly Edinburgh
Dearly Departed (2005) Diorama Arts Centre
Olympia (2005) Drama Barn, York
TONY! The Blair Musical (2007) York Theatre Royal, Pleasance
Tony of Arabia (2008) Theatre Royal, Wakefield, Oxford North Wall, Pleasance
Lost Soul Music (2008) C Venues, Edinburgh, Square Chapel, Halifax, Pleasance
WOLF (2009) The Theatre, Chipping Norton and Latitude Festival
Despite lampooning him on stage, Bush described Tony Blair as "a decent man who made some bad decisions", and stated that he had "come to ridicule Blair not vilify him".[3] Some have argued that Bush is not critical enough of New Labour. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Dominic Cavendish claimed that "the country is angrier than [Tony, The Blair Musical] allows".[4] Contrarily, Paul Lowman of The Press (York) has praised Bush's even-handedness, stating that his greatest strength is his ability to "camouflage complex issues in a vastly entertaining, glossy, media friendly package."[5]
Bush has stated that he is proud of his British heritage, and is a supporter of immigration to the country. On a 2009 episode of Come Dine With Me he stated that "what makes [him] really proud of Britain [is] the number of people who want to be here".[2]