The Last Cuckoo, Andrew Harrison

The Last Cuckoo, Andrew Harrison

Andrew Harrison was a resident member of Riding Lights Theatre Co. in York for over three years. He made his repertory debut at The Northcott Theatre, Exeter playing the leads in A Chorus of Disapproval and Serious Money. He first appeared in the West End in Trelawney of the Wells with the late Sir Michael Hordern.

He has worked extensively for the BBC Radio Drama Co. and is in regular demand as a voice-over artiste. Andrew’s film credits include An Ideal Husband and the Picture of Dorian gray.

He co-produced the notorious West End satire The Madness of George Dubya with his business associate Justin Butcher and in which he also appeared at the Arts Theatre. With Justin he is a trainer to the business community to such organisations as PricewaterhouseCoopers, the OFT, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Mercer and the MOD.

He is also a comedy sketch writer, stand-up comic and presenter. He is the co-creator with the writer and director Murray Watts of nine solo shows which are toured regularly throughout the U.K.

The Last Cuckoo
A One-Man show about loss, hope and birds

The Last Cuckoo is an enchanting and hilarious play which gives a vivid portrayal of an extraordinary character.

Harry Baskerville is a genuine eccentric – an irascible, unpredictable and engaging ornithologist with fantastic ruminations on hatching swallows, stained glass, fish pie, crocheted toilet roll covers and Rupert Bear. He gives voice to an eloquent, moving and comical celebration of the natural world – but especially that of the birds.

But this play is no sentimental ecological apologia, for after Harry’s death it is left to his nephew, Duncan Campbell, to reflect on not just a life but a whole way of being that is fast disappearing. Beneath the glittering surface of the natural world that has such an allure is a disturbing pulse that grows ever more insistent.

“Beautifully comic… I cried with laughter.”
Simon Mayo.

“It’s a great show! An enchanting evening.
Sally Magnusson.