Notorious tyrant is brought to life

The 20th Century's most notorious tyrant is daringly and divisively brought to the stage in one of the most successful and powerful solo works ever presented.

Pip Utton, looking uncomfortably like the Fuhrer, stands before a huge Nazi banner addressing his party faithful. He furnishes his audience with an acute anatomy of fascism; its ideological justifications; its poisoned utopias. They are in the presence of an utterly compelling idealist, and are helplessly drawn in to his warped logic.

Hitler's final performance seems over as he settles into pre-suicidal contemplation. We know the rest. But Utton has reserved a sting for his tale, a sting so powerful that it pushes the audience into looking within themselves to question their own prejudices and intolerance.

This is live theatre at its best with a theme and subject that touches us all. It is powerful, challenging and divisive, illustrative and educational. It is utterly provocative and totally necessary. Everyone should experience it.

Created from the words of 'Mein Kampf' and 'Table Talk', Pip Utton's amazing play furnishes an acute anatomy of fascism; its ideological justifications, its poisoned utopias; He takes his audience on a journey into themselves, gently coaxing an understanding of the mindset of a nation that could allow a man such as Hitler to take control. But Utton doesn't stop in the bunker, he plumbs the very source of racism and exposes just how near the surface of our own lives lurks its insidious influence. Great for all audiences, this is live theatre at its best - powerful, dramatic, challenging, divisive, illustrative and educational. It is utterly provocative and totally necessary. Pip Utton was born, raised and educated in Cannock, Staffs and eventually trained as a gemmologist.

After several years in amateur dramatics, Pip turned professional in 1996. He has since played a wide variety of roles, including Salieri in Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night, Edmund Kean in Flashes of Lightning and Falstaff in Henry IV Part I. Other recent work includes Septimus Harding in The Barchester Chronicles with Wessex Actors Company, the title role in Macbeth and Henry in Lion in Winter (winning Best Actor in South West) for The Merlin Theatre in Frome. Pip recently played Hitler in the BBC's Days That Shook the World.

Pip first became well known for his portrayal of Tony Hancock in Hancock's Last Half-Hour by Heathcote Williams which became a 'fringe cult' at the Edinburgh festival over four seasons. Hancock also played for a month at the Polish National Ballet Theatre in Warsaw and has toured all over the UK.

In 1997 Pip wrote Adolf and it premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Southside Laboratory and won widespread critical acclaim including Spirit Of The Fringe Award. It returned to Edinburgh in 1998 at Roman Eagle Lodge, and repeated its success selling out two shows a day and winning a nomination for The Stage Awards, Best Actor. In 1999, Adolf was redirected by Guy Masterson returned to Edinburgh for a third season, this time to the prestigious Assembly Rooms Edinburgh Suite as part of the British Council International Showcase. Edinburgh 2000 saw Adolf return to the Assembly Rooms Music Hall.

Adolf has played in Hong Kong, where it was the highest grossing show of the 1999 City Festival, The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Estonia, Eire, Norway, Finland; a main city tour of India and three seasons in Berlin as well as continuous domestic touring. It has been translated into four different languages.

For further information or to book tickets, priced 11.50, contact the Island Arts Centre Box Office on 9250 9254. It returned to Edinburgh in 1998 at Roman Eagle Lodge, and repeated its success selling out two shows a day and winning a nomination for The Stage Awards, Best Actor. In 1999, Adolf was redirected by Guy Masterson returned to Edinburgh for a third season, this time to the prestigious Assembly Rooms Edinburgh Suite as part of the British Council International Showcase. Edinburgh 2000 saw Adolf return to the Assembly Rooms Music Hall. Adolf has played in Hong Kong, where it was the highest grossing show of the 1999 City Festival, The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Estonia, Eire, Norway, Finland; a main city tour of India and three seasons in Berlin as well as continuous domestic touring. It has been translated into four different languages.

For further information or to book tickets, priced 11.50, contact the Island Arts Centre Box Office on 9250 9254.

Pip Utton as Adolf Hitler