About the Play:

HARD TO FIND BOOK, only a very limited number of copies are still available.

Snogging Ken is a one-act comedy by Tariq Ali, Howard Brenton, and Andy de la Tour. In this satire, two of "Tony Blair's babes" plan to stop Ken Livingstone's bid to become London's first-ever elected mayor using dirty tricks. All the while, one of Ken's warhorses attempts to pick an unsuspecting businessman's pocket in aid of the Livingstone cause.

Snogging Ken is a based on the campaign of Ken Livingstone, sure-fire favourite to be London's first-ever elected mayor. Labour Party in-fighting has seen left-wing rebel Ken Livingstone become an independent candidate running in opposition to the party's official choice, Frank Dobson. Pity Tony Blair's nannies at New Labour's Millbank election war-room: they're working night and day to get "Red Ken" and prevent him from becoming Mayor of London. Suddenly it's Ken, the maverick MP expelled from the Labour Party, who's getting the people's vote and artists from all disciplines have been falling over themselves to support him. Millbank, charged with plotting his downfall, is getting desperate. Some dirty tricks are called for, and the orders from the very top are "Make my day".

This satirical comedy pictures two of Blair's babes (the media's nickname for the young women MPs who came to power along with Prime Minister Tony Blair) meeting in a smart restaurant and dreaming up a crazed smear campaign to bring down "Red Ken". Ambitious Millbank spin doctor Pandora meets the equally ambitious young MP Lola and tries to persuade her to claim that she has borne Ken's love-child – a ruse Labour hope will catapult "Dobbo the donkey" to an unlikely mayoral victory. At an adjacent table, one of Ken's supporters, Thick Boy Geezer, a fading pop star and celebrity bagman, attempts to woo a disillusioned Blairite aristocrat (and his money) to Ken's independent campaign. But there are strings attached. Ever more dastardly plots are afoot as the election draws nearer.

Snogging Ken was performed late-night at the Almeida Theatre in Islington for seven performances only in the lead-up to polling day on May 4, 2000. The play was staged on the set of Harold Pinter's satirical play Celebration which was made out as a swanky metropolitan restaurant. The setting was doubly appropriate: the Almeida Theatre lies mere yards from Granita, the smart Islington eaterie where political legend has it that Tony Blair persuaded Gordon Brown not to stand against him in the 1994 Labour leadership contest.

Cast: 2 female, 2 male

What people say:

"What unfolds is a look behind the scenes at the machinations of two rival political campaigns. Although Ken and Dobbo are the focus of the scheming, in sharpest focus are the political hacks who pull the strings behind the scenes.." — The Guardian

About the Playwright:

Tariq Ali is an English author, film-maker, playwright and broadcaster who was involved in setting up Channel 4. A long-time political activist and campaigner, he has written over a dozen books on world history and politics, five novels, and scripts for both stage and screen.

Howard Brenton is a prolific English playwright, noted for his controversial political plays of the 1970s and 80s. He became resident dramatist at the Royal Court Theatre in 1972, following on from David Hare. His plays have been staged at the Royal Court Theatre, National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare's Globe among others. Other writing work includes collaborations with David Hare and Tariq Ali. He also wrote the BBC drama series Spooks (aka MI5) and has translated many plays into English.

Andy de la Tour is a playwright, director, actor and stand-up comedian. He has appeared in scores of stage plays, TV dramas and films. His plays have been produced throughout the UK and also further afield, from the US, to Serbia and Panama.