Three Kings

Originally written for Andrew Scott, The Uproar Festival presents an amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books of Three Kings.

“This king, the first king, can be touched and moved. This king, the second king, can be touched but never moved. This king, the third king, can be moved but never touched.”

Originally written for Andrew Scott, Three Kings now arrives onstage with Elijah McDowell in a gripping one-man performance that blends mystery, humour, and raw emotion.

Onstage, he slips between characters with razor-sharp timing and sudden intensity, drawing the audience into Patrick’s mind as he jumps between cracking the code and facing the truth he’s spent years dodging. One moment you’re laughing at the cleverness of the riddle, then next, you’re hit by the weight of what it really means to chase a father’s approval. At its heart, Three Kings is about fathers and sons, the pressure to “man up”, and the hidden scars passed down through generations, and what it takes to finally break the cycle.

Are you ready to take on the riddle and discover which of the kings rules your life?

Content Warning: Death and bereavement, Childhood trauma and abuse, Emotionally abusive parenting, Suicide