FOR THE legion of film fans who have been long been devoted to 80s cult classic Withnail and I, the appearance of Paul McGann on stage is sure to stir excitement.
McGann and Richard E Grant made their names as a pair of feckless aspiring actors living in a London squat who “go on holiday by mistake”.
In wartime drama Gabriel, which can be seen at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre from May 15 to 20, McGann takes on his first UK theatre tour.
With the story set in 1943 Nazi-occupied Guernsey, he plays terrifying Commander Von Pfunz who turns up in the life of widow and mother Jeanne (Belinda Lang) who is doing whatever it takes to keep her adolescent daughter Estelle and daughter-in-law Lily safe on an island filled with danger and fear.
Her toughest test arrives in the form of Von Pfunz and his romantic advances which may be the only way to keep her family alive.
Tensions intensify when a mysterious young man (Robin Morrissey) is washed ashore with no memory of who he is. Fluent in German and English, is he an RAF pilot? An SS interrogator? A local boy with amnesia? Or a saviour sent from heaven?
Find out in Moira Buffini’s drama which is awash with mystery and intrigue.
To book tickets, call the box office on 01483 440000 or visit www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk