Acclaimed screen and stage actor Steven Berkoff is previewing his latest West End show at Margate’s Theatre Royal.

Called The Actor’s Lament, it was introduced at the Edinburgh Fringe, and Berkoff stars with Jay Benedict and Andree Bernard in this glimpse backstage, lifting the curtain on the bizarre and often hilarious world of theatre.

From precious playwrights and dictator directors to the good will (or otherwise) of the critics - a maze of thickets actors must negotiate before they ever reach the stage.

The Actor’s lament is a comedy about the bizarre lives of actors and the many fights, frustrations and madnesses they are prone to.

Berkoff’s plays and adaptations have been performed in many countries and in many languages. Among the many he has created for the stage, directed and toured, are Kafka’s Metamorphosis and The Trial, Agamemnon after Aeschylus, and Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.

He has directed and toured productions of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus also playing the title role, Richard II, Hamlet and Macbeth, as well as Oscar Wilde’s Salome.

He is the original English villain starring in many blockbuster movies including A Clockwork Orange, Octopussy, Beverly Hills Cop, Rambo, and The Krays. He also directed and co-starred with Joan Collins in the film version of his play Decadence.

The Actor’s Lament runs from Tuesday, May 13 to Thursday, May 15 at 7.30pm, with a matinee on Thursday at 2pm. Tickets are £20 from the box office, 01843 296111

The Actor's Lament is at Margate Theatre Royal from Tuesday, May 13 until Thursday, May 15. Tickets are £20 from the box office. Call 01843 296111.

* Picture by Chris Blott