THE GLORIOUS DEAD
With echoes of Ripley and Notes on a Scandal comes a devastating yet exhilarating reflection on loss, rumours and the secrets we keep from those closest to us, from the bestselling author Justin Myers.
Laurie Blount, the ‘enfant terrible’ of the West End, the voice of a generation, a shining star, is dead. Very, very dead. Killed in a car crash in the middle of the night, Laurie exited this world the way he lived his life – dramatically and dangerously. Leaving his husband Jo, best friend Vivi and goddaughter Rosy behind, the three are forced to confront a life without their dazzling Laurie, with his voice confined to the scripts that cemented his legacy.
As time marches on, the three try desperately to move forward with their lives. But, rumours of an unpublished memoir written by Laurie himself begin to haunt the group. Waspish, wicked and witty, Laurie’s memoir breaks the fourth wall of his one-man show, revealing a side to him that even those closest to him are unable to recognise. With Laurie gone and unable to answer their questions, where can they turn to find the truth? And how much of a dead man’s words can they trust? Jo, Vivi and Rosy are about to discover that comedy and tragedy are the same mistakes, made under different lighting. If they are ever to find peace in the future, they must confront Laurie’s as well as their own past – and the mistakes they’ve all made. After all, there are three sides to every story...
Justin Myers is an author and journalist who grew up in Shipley, West Yorkshire. Justin is perhaps best known for his writing under the pseudonym The Guyliner, including his acerbic and hilarious reviews of the Guardian’s Blind Date column on his Impeccable Table Manners blog. Justin’s work has appeared in many leading publications, including the Guardian, GQ, Grazia, and The Times, and his newsletter The Truth About Everything* is a Substack bestseller. The Glorious Dead is Justin’s fifth novel, following The Last Romeo, The Magnificent Sons, The Fake-Up, and Leading Man.
Hosting for the evening is the incredible Adam Kay! A former doctor turned bestselling author, with seven books and over five million copies sold. His debut, This is Going to Hurt, became a literary sensation, topping the Sunday Times bestseller list for over a year and selling over 3 million copies. Kay adapted the book into a multi-BAFTA-winning BBC comedy-drama. He’s also a hugely successful children’s author, with books translated into 30 languages and over one million copies sold. His collaboration with Henry launched Kay's Anatomy to phenomenal success, becoming Puffin's biggest-ever non-fiction launch. Adam’s live performances, including his This is Going to Hurt tour, have sold out nationwide, and his most recent show, Undoctored, was the biggest-selling show of the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe. Adam lives in Oxfordshire with his husband, dog, two children, and BAFTA.
