A new stage play, titled “Savage,” is being developed around the life of Paul O’Grady and the character Lily Savage, the alter ego that helped him become a well-known figure in UK entertainment. Multiple outlets report that the former RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard will play O’Grady in the production. The play is written by Jonathan Harvey, who is also credited with other screen and stage work, and he previously had brief involvement with O’Grady before O’Grady died in 2023 at the age of 67.
The production is described as tracing O’Grady’s journey from his early life in Merseyside to the London club scene, and it highlights the emergence of Lily Savage as a performer who challenges convention. One synopsis mentions the character’s beginnings in London’s gay bar scene and frames the story as the lead-up to O’Grady’s later status as a mainstream presenter.
“Savage” is scheduled to premiere at Leicester’s Curve theatre in February 2027, with plans to tour the UK before transferring to London’s West End.
