Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd received a superstar reception as he performed live for the first time since the controversial Netflix show sparked a £92million lawsuit.
Fans wildly applauded the 35-year-old comedian and actor after he appeared in the unconventional West End play White Rabbit Red Rabbit, where a different star takes to the stage each night without rehearsal.
They can’t even see the script in advance, it’s placed in a sealed envelope on stage, so they have to read the lines and follow the stage directions completely coldly.
Fans were desperate to see Gadd in the ‘experimental’ solo production after seeing him play himself in the dark television comedy that won multiple Emmy Awards.
The Soho Place Theater was sold out for its only performance and fans without tickets who showed up expecting cancellations had to be turned away.
Gadd is currently at the center of legal action against the streaming giant over Baby Reindeer’s depiction of her ordeal at the hands of a stalker.
Fiona Harvey is demanding colossal damages for defamation, emotional distress and gross negligence in a brief alleging that the show’s harasser Martha Scott is based on her.
Fans wildly applauded the 35-year-old comedian and actor (pictured at Chateau Marmont) after his appearance in the offbeat West End play White Rabbit Red Rabbit.
Georgia Meacham called the play “amazing” and described how Gadd gave 100 percent to the role.
It is Gadd’s first stage role since the Netflix hit Baby Reindeer, and her first stage role since the Edinburgh Fringe show on which it was based.
On Sunday, the Soho Place Theater was packed with people citing Gadd’s Netflix sensation as the reason they watched the dark play about Iranian tyranny.
They were delighted with the way he turned a script about Tehran’s oppression into a funny routine in which he impersonates an ostrich and leads the audience onto the stage.
The Scottish-born artist also signed autographs and took selfies with some fans at the stage door before the show.
Model and actress Georgia Meacham, 31, said after watching the hour-long play: “I thought it was incredible.”
“I’m a big fan of Baby Reindeer and Richard is not just an actor, he’s a writer and is involved in the production, so I decided to go see it.
‘He gave 100 per cent, which was very nice. Everything was so unexpected. There was a lot of suspense.
José Andrade, 44, and Daniel Sadecki, 28, said they enjoyed the interaction with the audience.
Katie Mison, 26, from Brighton, said: “It was great fun.” It had some really dark themes but they were covered in humour.’
‘It was so interactive that the audience got up and got involved.
Georgia, who appeared in Channel 4 royal soap opera The Windsors and Hollywood film Wonder Woman 1984, added. ‘Richard was so good, so funny.
“I would love to see him again doing another theater show.”
Katie Mison, 26, from Brighton, said: “It was great fun.” It had some really dark themes but they were covered in humor.
‘You didn’t know what would come next. There were many unexpected turns.
‘We saw Baby Reindeer and saw that he was in it, so we thought we’d do it. “It was brilliant.”
Friends Daniel Sadecki, 28, and José Andrade, both from London, also enjoyed Iranian playwright Nassim Soleiman’s play about the oppressive regime in Tehran.
Daniel said: ‘It was very interactive and I really liked Richard too. “He was a very good performer.”
José added: ‘I liked it. I especially liked the way they interacted with the audience. That was fun.’
Oliver Newman, 19, from Southend, said: ‘The show was brilliant. It was really stimulating.
“It was very different from anything I’d seen before – a really cool concept for a show.”
‘I was a big fan of Baby Reindeer and was considering a few options, but I thought I’d come and see Richard.
“I was expecting more darkness than comedy, but there was a very good mix of everything.”
Fiona Harvey, the real inspiration for the stalker Martha in Baby Reindeer
Hit TV show Baby Reindeer could end up costing TV streaming service Netflix up to $120m (£92m), plus legal fees.
Actress Jessica Gunning, who plays ‘Martha’ in the series, and Richard Gadd, who plays himself, pose with their Emmy awards in California earlier this year.
Sisters Holly Rea and Amber Pollard-Rea, from Tunbridge Wells, said they arrived late so struggled for a few minutes to catch up with the dialogue.
But Amber, 31, said: “It’s a bit cliché, but probably the only reason we went was to see Richard Gadd for Baby Reindeer.”
‘It took us a few minutes to get into it and I thought it needed some convincing.
“But it was really interesting and thought-provoking, like a social experiment on stage.”
Holly, 25, said: “We were five minutes late which didn’t help so we had to deal with it very quickly.”
‘But very quickly, we all became absorbed and hung on every word.
‘I thought the concept worked for his style because he’s a stand-up and he’s used to being the only one on stage.
“He could hold his own and because he felt comfortable, we all felt comfortable too.”
But Heidi Kubisa, 44, who came from Bath hoping to get a ticket to the show, was disappointed and had to stay outside.
She said: “We’re Baby Reindeer fans and Richard Gadd fans, so we were hoping to get tickets.”
But it sold out very quickly. Three tickets became available today and we hesitated and they left. “I’m very disappointed.”
However, she took solace in meeting the star when she arrived at the stage door, where she signed autographs and posed for selfies.
‘He was charming. He did some autographs and photographs for the group that was there, so we just wished him the best and hoped the show went well.’
Gadd was the latest big name to appear in what promoters say is a “theatrical adventure encompassing comedy and tragedy” and an “edge-of-your-seat experience.”
Previous stars have included Michael Sheen, Jonathan Pryce, Jason Isaacs and Daisy Edgar Jones, while future shows will feature Lenny Henry, Toby Jones, Matt Lucas and Catherine Tate.
Gadd won three of the six Emmy Awards given to the show last month; another went to Jennifer Gunning, who played the stalker.