The life of John Bindon was no different, from giddy highs gallivanting with Princess Margaret and the upper crust, to crushing lows facing a jury for murder followed by his lonely demise.
It’s all brought to life in this one-man play performed by Matthew Houghton on a stage dressed with post-war bric-a-brac.
It traces Bindon’s rumoured association with the Krays and his part in saving a drowning man he may or may not have pushed in the Thames, before delving into his acting career and sexual escapades.
Mixing with the upper classes was something Bindon revelled in, and pursued to bridge societal gaps as he saw them.
Houghton does well to depict his determination in this sense. But it wasn’t just bedding “posh women” that Bindon felt would break the back of a class divide; Houghton’s turn of phrase lends itself to Shakespeare or Dickens, to whom Bindon was partial.
This play exposes a delicate, ponderous side to the archetypal London geezer, and portrays a personality that see-saws between blunt vulgarity and raw introspection.
Once it’s over, you’ll have lived the life of John Bindon ten times over.
* 8pm (May 24-27, 29&30), 5pm (May 28), £7. Call 01273 917272
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