A DARK comedy examining life of the powerless under despotic regimes will premiere in Liverpool next week.

King of the World is set in a land ruthlessly ruled over by a perma-tanned monarch with strange orange hair – although, “any similarity to any present day President is entirely coincidental, of course,” teases playwright Brian Coyle.

The piece is part of the second Liverpool Fringe Festival, and will be performed at 81 Renshaw this Wednesday and Thursday (June 6 &7).

“As a writer, I often write about things that make me angry. And like most people I was perplexed when Trump became President,” says Brian. “However, when I thought about it, I could see that the ‘hard man’ leader – and they are all men – is all around us in world politics right now: Putin, Kim, Erdogan, Xi, this list goes on.

“They all seem to have similar attributes: an insatiable appetite for power and will do anything to hold on to it, but at the same time they have a tragically brittle ego. Any questioning of their power is put down brutally. And it’s this phenomenon that interests me the most,” he adds.

So the idea for King of the World came into being. However, the titular leader does not appear on stage, the story being told through three of his lowliest subjects, the “undesirables” of society, played by Pea Lee, Keith Hyland and Sean McGlynn. The play examines what happens to people living under brutal regimes, and looks at how their loyalty to each other, trust and friendship are tested.

For Brian, who is originally from Scotland but now lives in Bristol, it has been an opportunity to reunite in Liverpool with city-based director Emma Bird. In 2016, they put on Welcome to Paradise Road at the Page to Stage Fringe Festival. The play, about state control and our surveillance society, was named the best script in festival, and Emma won best director.

Now, the pair hope that next week’s performances are just the beginning for .

Brian says: “We’re hoping that this play strikes a chord and we can take it on elsewhere, to highlight just how diligent we have to be about democracy when we are surrounded by leaders whose aim is not to make our lives better, but to make them look glorious.”

More information about the play and tickets are available here.