New play 'Savage' inspired by British icon Lily Savage to premiere in 2027

The show is based on Paul O'Grady's life and the creation of his alter ego, and stars RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard.

Summary

• Savage is a new play inspired by Paul O'Grady and his alter ego Lily Savage
• It will premiere in 2027 in Leicester prior to the West End
• It's written by Jonathan Harvey and directed by Nikolai Foster
• It stars RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard

A new comedy and drag extravaganza, Savage, about the life of Paul O'Grady and his inimitable Blonde Bombsite creation Lily Savage, will have its world premiere in 2027. Written by the multi-award-winning Jonathan Harvey (Gimme Gimme Gimme, Coronation Street, Beautiful Thing), the show will be directed by Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde, The Sound of Music).

The show will star RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard in the lead role. Their work includes Hollyoaks, The Traitors: Uncloaked, Celebrity Big Brother, and stage shows like Sleeping Beauty at the Wolverhampton Grand and the UK tour of The Lightning Thief – The Percy Jackson Musical.

The production will premiere at Curve Leicester on 13 February 2027, then head to Liverpool Playhouse (16 to 20 March), the Lowry in Salford (23 to 27 March), Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre (30 March to 3 April), Theatre Royal Bath (6 to 10 April), Norwich Theatre Royal (13 to 17 April), and Birmingham Hippodrome (20 to 24 April). It will then come to London's West End.

Savage centres on a working-class boy with a sharp tongue, who journeyed from the streets of Merseyside to London's club scene. His powerful creation was the fearless, foul-mouthed, unconventional alter ego Lily Savage, who became an unlikely national treasure.

Speaking before his passing, O'Grady said of the show: “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.”

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.”

Further casting and creatives are to be announced.