SAVAGE
A NEW PLAY BY JONATHAN HARVEY
INSPIRED BY THE LIFE OF PAUL O’GRADY
TO HAVE WORLD PREMIERE STARRING
DANNY BEARD
at curve 13 FEBRUARY – 6 march 2027
Producers ROYO, Curve, Hope Mill Theatre and Eilene Davidson are delighted to announce the world premiere of SAVAGE, a brand-new comedy and drag extravaganza, about the Blonde Bombsite herself, Lily Savage, written by multi-award-winning Jonathan Harvey (GIMME GIMME GIMME, CORONATION STREET, BEAUTIFUL THING) and starring RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK winner Danny Beard in the title role. The world premiere production will be directed by Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (KINKY BOOTS, West End/UK & Ireland Tour; LEGALLY BLONDE, UK & Ireland Tour; THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Curve).
Inspired by the life of Paul O’Grady, and created with his blessing, SAVAGE is a bold and deeply moving new play drawing on both Paul’s extraordinary life and his autobiographies to tell the story behind the creation of Lily Savage. The production will make its world premiere on 13 February 2027 at Curve Leicester, prior to London’s West End.
Speaking during the initial development of SAVAGE, before his passing, Paul said “I’m delighted Jonathan (Harvey) has agreed to write the script, I really am as he’s perfect for this and he’s such a great writer.”
Before the spotlight, there was a working-class boy from Birkenhead with a sharp tongue, thick skin, and something to say.
The show follows Paul’s journey from the streets of Merseyside to the heart of London’s club scene, where, armed with little more than his wits and a wig, he began carving out a place for himself. From humble roots and an unassuming start emerged Lily Savage: the fearless, foul-mouthed alter ego who would defy convention and win the hearts of millions.
SAVAGE combines razor-sharp wit, unexpected tenderness, and plenty of peroxide, in an intimate portrait of a singular talent and the world that made him.
Funny, raw, and full of heart, this is the story of how Paul became Lily and how Lily became a British icon.
Jonathan Harvey said “I was so thrilled when Paul gave me the opportunity to turn his life story into a stage show. I first saw Lily in a scuzzy gay bar in West London in the late 80s and laughed ‘til I hurt, so it’s an honour indeed to bring his story and the colourful escapades of the blonde bombsite herself to life. This is one of those few shows that I’m involved in where I can go ‘You need to come. It’s really good’… because the zinging one-liners are all his. It’s so sad he’s not here to see it, but hopefully this will be a fitting testament to everything he achieved, and a cracking night out full of humour and heart.”
Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster, Director of Savage said:
“Paul was a generational talent, and we are honoured to have the opportunity to work on this hilarious, heartfelt and electrifying new play by the mighty Jonathan Harvey, which celebrates Paul’s life, legacy and Lily.
Jonathan is one of our finest writers and alongside Paul’s husband André, manager Joan and our co-producers, we are indebted to them all for trusting us to tell this story.
From the streets of Liverpool to the sharp tongue and stiletto heels of Lily Savage, Paul’s is a remarkable and utterly unique story. We know our audiences in Leicester will laugh loudly, be deeply moved and reminded why Paul O’Grady remains one of the most beloved and revered entertainers this country will ever produce.”
Further casting and creatives to be announced.
SAVAGE is a co-production between ROYO, Curve, Hope Mill Theatre and Eilene Davidson.
SAVAGE will run at Curve in Leicester from Saturday 13 February to Saturday 6 March 2027. Tickets will go on sale to Made at Curve Circle, Patrons and Champions on Tuesday 16 June, Curve Friends on Wednesday 17 June, Curve Loyalty Pass, Access Register customers and groups on Thursday 18 June and on general sale Tuesday 23 June, all from 12pm midday. To find out more and book, visit www.curveonline.co.uk, call 0116 242 3595 or visit Curve’s Box Office in-person.
SAVAGE
Website: Savagetheplay.com
Instagram: @Savagetheplay
TikTok: @Savagetheplay
YouTube: @Savagetheplay
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590807926933#
Curve
60 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1SB
X: @CurveLeicester
Facebook:/CURVEtheatreLeicester
Instagram: @Curve_Leicester
TikTok: @CurveLeicester
YouTube: @curvetheatre
About Curve
Curve is an award-winning producing theatre with a commitment to ensuring as many people as possible can access great art and culture. Each year, over two million people engage with Curve through performances in Leicester, across the UK and internationally. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster, Curve has developed an international reputation for producing, presenting and touring a bold and diverse slate of musicals, plays, new work, and dance, which sits alongside a vibrant community and learning programme.
Recent Made at Curve productions and co-productions include: BANK OF DAVE THE MUSICAL, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, KINKY BOOTS (London Coliseum, UK and Europe tour); INSIDE AMERICAN PIE; LEGALLY BLONDE (UK and Ireland tour); THE SOUND OF MUSIC; ALIENS LOVE PANTA CLAUS; WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF; LOST ATOMS (UK tour); A CHORUS LINE (Sadler’s Wells, UK and Japan tour); MURIEL’S WEDDING; SISTER ACT (Dominion Theatre, Eventim Apollo, UK, Ireland and Australian tours); MY FAIR LADY; PIRATES LOVE UNDERPANTS (UK tour); THE MOUNTAINTOP (UK tour); THE WIZARD OF OZ (London Palladium, UK and Ireland tour); MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (UK tour); THE LION INSIDE (UK tour); COME FROM AWAY (UK tour); GREASE (Dominion Theatre and UK tour); EVITA; THE OWL WHO CAME FOR CHRISTMAS (UK tour); AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN THE MUSICAL (UK tour); 42ND STREET (Sadler’s Wells, UK tour and Toronto); WHITE CHRISTMAS (Dominion Theatre and UK tour); RIDE; BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL; BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL (UK tour); THE COLOR PURPLE (UK tour); CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (UK tour); METAMORPHOSIS (UK tour); SUNSET BOULEVARD (UK and Ireland tour); THE JUNGLE BOOK (UK and International tour); THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER; GIRAFFES CAN’T DANCE; WEST SIDE STORY; ON YOUR FEET! (London Coliseum and UK tour) and THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE AGED 13¾ – THE MUSICAL (The Ambassadors Theatre). Streamed productions include THE COLOR PURPLE and SUNSET BOULEVARD.
Curve is supported using public funding by principal funder Arts Council England.
Jonathan Harvey – Writer
Jonathan Harvey comes from Liverpool and is the multi award winning writer of the play and film ‘Beautiful Thing’, the Bafta nominated sitcom ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’ and ‘Beautiful People’ (Best Comedy: Banff TV Festival). He has written over 20 stage plays including ‘Corrie!’, ‘Canary’, ‘Hushabye Mountain’, ‘Babies’, ‘Boom Bang A Bang’ and ‘Rupert Street Lonely Hearts Club’. He also wrote the 2001 stage musical ‘Closer to Heaven’ with the Pet Shop Boys. His theatre work has won him an Evening Standard Award, two Manchester Evening News Awards, the George Devine Award and the John Whiting Award. His TV writing has earned him a Writers Guild of Great Britain Award and two British Soap Awards.
His TV work includes Call the Midwife, Shameless, Rev, The Catherine Tate Show, Tracey Ullman’s Show and At Home with the Braithwaites. He has written over 300 episodes of Coronation Street.
Nikolai Foster – Director
Nikolai is Artistic Director at Curve, Leicester, one of the UK’s leading regional theatres, described as “world class” by The Daily Telegraph and a “powerhouse” by The Times.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Nikolai grew up in North Yorkshire and trained at Drama Centre London and at the Crucible, Sheffield. He has created work for many of the UK’s major producing theatres, touring houses and international venues. Nikolai has been director on attachment at the Sheffield Crucible, the Royal Court Theatre and National Theatre Studio and served as an Associate Director at Leeds Playhouse. In 2024, Nikolai was awarded an Honorary Doctor of the Arts by Leicester’s De Montfort University for his contribution to theatre in Leicester. At Curve, Nikolai has worked on numerous musical revivals, new plays, musicals and championed emerging artists. Many of the Made at Curve productions Nikolai has directed have transferred to London, toured the UK and internationally.
Danny Beard – Lily Savage
Danny Beard is one of the UK’s best-known drag performers and presenters, known for their quick wit, powerhouse vocals and commanding stage presence. After making a name for themselves on the cabaret and club circuit, Danny shot to national prominence by winning the fourth series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, becoming the first bearded queen in the franchise’s history to take the crown.
Since then, Danny has built a career across television, radio, podcasting and live performance. They have hosted BBC Three’s The After Shave with Danny Beard, appeared on shows including Hollyoaks, Big Brother: Late & Live and The Traitors: Uncloaked, and fronted their own show on BBC Radio 1. In 2025, Danny reached an even wider audience as runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother, winning viewers over with their warmth, humour and authenticity while appearing out of drag throughout the series.
Alongside their television work, Danny remains a hugely popular live performer. Their acclaimed solo show Straight Expectations earned multiple five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, while their performance in the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre pantomime earned a Best Villain nomination at the UK Pantomime Awards, with the production itself being named Best Pantomime in the UK.
With a busy year ahead 2026 started off with Danny completing the UK tour of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief as Mr D, the god of wine and drama!
ROYO – Producers
ROYO is one of the UK’s leading producers of theatre and live entertainment, creating and presenting work for audiences around the world. It is one of the largest commissioners of new musicals in the UK and an industry leader in developing, creating and exporting commercial work.
As lead producer, ROYO’s productions include original musicals such as 13 Going on 30 – The Musical (winner of Best Regional Production at the 2026 WhatsOnStage Awards), HERE & NOW – The Steps Musical, Fisherman’s Friends – The Musical, NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, Bank Of Dave: The Musical, The Osmonds: A New Musical and Police Cops: The Musical, as well as newly imagined stagings of Legally Blonde, The Cher Show and Kinky Boots starring Johannes Radebe, now playing at the London Coliseum following a sold-out UK and European tour.
ROYO also introduced cult phenomenon OSCAR At The Crown to the UK, creating and operating a brand-new purpose-built immersive theatre on Tottenham Court Road.
ROYO’s live entertainment and family productions include Disney’s Winnie The Pooh and the beloved children’s classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, alongside tours of Johannes Radebe’s – Freedom, Freedom Unleashed and House Of Jojo, Oti Mabuse’s – I Am Here and Nikita Kuzmin’s – Midnight Dancer.
ROYO is part of ROYO Group – led by founders Tom de Keyser and Hamish Greer – a global collective of live entertainment companies producing, presenting, and promoting theatre and live experiences worldwide. Other companies in the group include RTS Entertainment, an international promoter and producer of productions in Asia, and Studio Twenty, one of the West End’s leading video marketing companies.
Hope Mill Theatre – Producer
Recent recipients of The Stage Fringe Theatre of the Year 2026. The award-winning Hope Mill Theatre was the dream of couple Joseph Houston and William Whelton, who, after a career in Musical Theatre and living in London, became inspired by the highly regarded off-West End theatres and the high-quality work they were producing.
With the growing theatre industry blossoming in Manchester and no medium-sized venues producing musicals, they set up and established the independent venue in November 2015.
Initially Joseph and William joined forces with Aria Entertainment to spearhead the venue as a regional home for new musicals and revivals. Hope Mill Theatre Patrons; Russell T Davies, Denise Welch, Tracie Bennett and Tom Francis. The venue has firmly placed itself on the northern map for its ambitious in-house productions, which include Parade; Hair – the Musical (London, UK Tour); the UK premiere of Yank! (Charing Cross Theatre, London); the European premiere of Little Women, Spring Awakening, Pippin (Southwark Playhouse, London); Aspects of Love (Southwark Playhouse); Rags (The Park Theatre); Mame (starring Tracie Bennett); Jonathan Harvey’s Hushabye Mountain, The Wiz, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Hope Mill Theatre); Rose starring Dame Maureen (Hope Mill Theatre & The Ambassadors Theatre); LIZZIE (UK Tour & Southwark Playhouse); World Premiere of To Wong Foo the Musical, based on the Hollywood movie (Hope Mill Theatre); The Gap starring Denise Welch and Matthew Kelly (Hope Mill Theatre); GYPSY! (Starring Jodie Prenger) and Glorious! (Starring Wendi Peters). Their 2021 revival of RENT received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike and won WhatsOnStage Award for Best Regional Production. They recently produced A Christmas Carol the Musical starring Claire Moore as Scrooge; NINE The Musical in Concert starring Ramin Karimloo and Ruthie Henshall at The Lowry Theatre, Salford; Young Frankenstein (HOPE MILL THEATRE, LIVERPOOL PLAYHOUSE); Acorn antiques (Manchester opera house and Shaftesbury theatre).
Upcoming productions include Disney’s High School Musical at Lowry and Troubadour Wembley, as well as the revival of RENT at Duke of Yorks Theatre, London.
Awards; 2026 WhatsOnStage Award for Best Studio Production for Young Frankenstein, 2026 Fringe Theatre of The Year Award, Manchester Theatre Award for Special Achievement, The Stage Fringe Theatre of year 2018, Peter Brook Empty Space Award, Hospital Club Award, WhatsOnStage Award for Best FOH team and favourite theatre. Nominations; Manchester Culture Award for Outstanding Contribution and The Manchester Peoples Award.
Houston and Whelton have been named on The Stage 100 list in 2018/19, 2019/20, 2024/25 and 2025/2026. In 2019 the venue transitioned into a charity – A Factory of Creativity CIO – allowing them to continue their extraordinary work, including the creation of Hope Mill Theatre School, a community hub for local residents and artists, which is also home to their community choir and youth outreach programmes. The venue won an I Love Mcr Award for Most Loved Community Hub in 2023.
Eilene Davidson – Producer
Eilene Davidson is an Olivier award winning international producer. Upcoming productions include Sylvia the Olivier award-winning hip-hop musical (tour and Royal Albert Hall) the new musical Dolly on Broadway and the New York transfer of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Recent critically acclaimed shows and Olivier winning productions include Punch (Vaudeville theatre), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Ambassadors theatre) and The Merchant of Venice 1936 (Criterion theatre). EDP is currently a co-producer on the hit show Romeo and Juliet (Pinter theatre) Recently co-produced Broadway shows include ART (Music Box theatre), Vanya (Lucille Lortel theatre), Prima Facie (John Golden theatre), Death of a Salesman (Hudson theatre), A Doll’s House (Hudson Theatre), Plaza Suite (Hudson Theatre), Leopoldstadt (Longacre theatre), Walking with Ghosts (Music Box theatre), Betrayal (Bernard B Jacobs) and Life of Pi (Schoenfeld theatre). London productions include All my Sons, Coven (Kiln theatre), The Seagull (Barbican), People, Places and Things (Trafalgar Theatre), Enemy of the People (Duke of York’s theatre), Macbeth (London, Tour and Washington DC), Red Pitch (@Sohoplace), The Motive and the Cue (Noel Coward Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Alexandra Palace), Wagatha Christie (Ambassadors theatre), The Last 5 Years (Garrick Theatre), Anything Goes (Barbican), Uncle Vanya (Pinter Theatre), Day in the Death of Joe Egg (Trafalgar Theatre), Admissions (Trafalgar Theatre), and Emilia (Vaudeville Theatre).
Eilene formerly worked as an actress and writer in Europe and the USA. Her main interest is in new writing, and she was a founder of Stage Traffic a US/UK company specialising in producing new plays. She is in the President’s Circle at BAFTA and serves on various arts boards internationally. She also recently executive produced the critically acclaimed British film Dragonfly starring Brenda Blethyn and Andrea Riseborough and has a new play and film in development.