Three Kings (NHB Modern Plays)

By Stephen Beresford

When Patrick is eight years old, his absent father returns unexpectedly for a brief but memorable encounter.

Years later – recalling that meeting, and the revelations that followed – Patrick traces the events of his father’s life, laying bare a journey of grandiose plans, aching disappointments and audacious self-delusion.

Three Kings by Stephen Beresford is a heartbreaking and hilarious play for a solo actor about fathers and sons, the gifts and burdens of inheritance, and the unfathomable puzzle of human relationships.

It was written for Andrew Scott to perform as part of Old Vic: In Camera, a series of live performances streamed from The Old Vic, London, in 2020. This edition includes an introduction by the director Matthew Warchus.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Release date: Sep 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781788503440

Stephen Beresford

Stephen Beresford trained at RADA and worked as an actor before writing for television and film, winning a BAFTA for his screenplay for the feature film Pride (2014). His plays include: The Southbury Child (Chichester Festival Theatre & Bridge Theatre, London, 2022); Three Kings (Old Vic, London, 2020); Fanny & Alexander (Old Vic, London, 2018), a stage adaptation of the film by Ingmar Bergman; and The Last of the Haussmans (National Theatre, London, 2012).