And Now for His Next Act

Gyles Brandreth is a repeat offender. The former M.P., instigator of Britain's national Scrabble championships, founder of the Teddy Bear Museum in Stratford-upon-Avon and holder of the world record for the longest after-dinner speech (12 hours and 30 minutes) is also the main culprit behind the musical Zipp! that opens this week in London's West End. But others share the blame. One is the late Sir Ralph Richardson, who backed out of a play the young Brandreth was staging as part of the 1974 Oxford Theatre Festival. Theatrical wisdom dictates, "When faced with a crisis, put on a musical." So...