THE PLAY

In 1956 the American entertainer Liberace arrived in England to perform a series of concerts. While he was greeted with great enthusiasm and warmth by the British public, the press was not so kind to him.

The worst comments came from the tabloid paper, The Daily Mirror, who almost came right out and said that Liberace was a bad influence on British youth as he was a homosexual.

Backed into a corner (especially considering the very anti-gay atmosphere of postwar Britain, and the hysteria of the McCarthy trials in the USA) Liberace decided to sue the Daily Mirror for libel and a trial date was set for June 1959.

Drawing on contemporary reports, LIBERACE'S SUIT follows the course of the trial and is a splendid comic/tragedy exposing the hypocrisy of both parties and the era that forced so many gay men to such desperate measures to protect their livelihoods and their very liberty.

This is a full length play that runs for two hours with a cast of five.

Lawyer: 'In your burlesque act...'
Liberace: 'I am certainly not a burlesque act, Sir!'
Lawyer: 'Oh, no? Isn't that the kind of show you perform?'
Liberace: 'Do you think with the kind of money that I spend on my clothes I am going to take them off!'
Lawyer: 'Hmm, excuse me, my mistake, Sir. I am not up to date with current Americanisms and slang...'