BARNARD Castle actor Gordon Duffy-McGhie had a roaring success at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe with his one-man show, Red Peter, and he is now performing it at The Prague Fringe festival.

“I’ve added an extra scene, and, to make the show easier to travel, I’ve had to lose some of the props. The whole show now fits in a suitcase and I’m really excited about doing another 11 performances”, he says.

He previewed the new version at the Witham Hall, Barnard Castle, before heading off to the festival.

Red Peter is an ape who, after being trapped by humans, decides his only method of escape is either the zoo or the bright lights of the stage.

The stage wins and a music hall star is born. We follow Red Peter after he’s shot, captured and dragged away from his dead mother to be transported in a small cage on board ship.

His stories are captivating, and Duffy McGhie’s animalistic movement and interpretation is touching and tragic.

Red Peter’s bid for humaness makes him famous, but his loneliness is palpable.

Duffy-McGhie uses a hat and coat hanging from a stand to great effect, speaking to them as he would a friend. He tells his forlorn story with humour and bravado; he also sings, dances, spits and plays the accordion.

Inspired by Franz Kafka’s Report to an Academy, Red Peter will join an international community for a real culture binge in Prague, where English performances are centered around Divadlo Na Pradle (Theatre at the Laundry) until Saturday.

Helen Brown