Keystone cops vs. castro

The failure of the CIA to "kill" castro is presented in a comedic play. There is nothing funny about a life castro.

Comic take on Cuban conspiracies

IT has been dubbed 'the play the CIA do not want you to see' and now this new 'explosive' comedy from the pen of The Office's Brian Stewart is to be unleashed on audiences in Greenwich, writes Emma Durdle.

Killing Castro starts at Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich next Monday, June 12 and will give theatre goers an insight into some of the CIA's bizarre plots to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro during the 1960s.

Having obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act, Mr Stewart set about writing a play dedicated to the imaginative, but less well known plots hatched by American CIA agents.

According to actor Michael Praed, who stars as Tom Madison in the play, the plots range 'from the sublime to the ridiculous' and include exploding cigars and poisonous snakes.

The former, Robin of Sherwood star said: "I play one of the four CIA agents who discuss ways and means to assassinate Fidel Castro.

"They are the most extraordinary ways known. One idea was proposed to put an exploding shell under water, because it was known that Fidel Castro used to like going scuba diving."

Michael stars alongside Casualty's Clive Mantle, former Watson, Edward Hardwicke and Murder Investigation Team star, Joe Shaw in the play.

He said he didn't hesitate in joining, Clive, who he appeared with in Robin of Sherwood in the 1980s, Edward and Joe on stage when he was asked if he was interested.

He said: "I liked the script a lot. It's a new play and I think it's very funny. The notion that you get very intelligent people who are on top of the food chain and they have a problem that they need to find a solution to and they resort to this is very funny."

Despite starring in a play with serious political undertones, Michael says world politics do not interest him in real life.

"Politics isn't one of my interests, he said: "But then I don't think Killing Castro is a political play, it's a black comedy first and foremost."

Performances run from Monday, June 12 to Saturday, June 17 at 8pm with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets range from £14 to £22 and are available from the box office on 020 8858 7755.