Republican play angers Tories

DESPITE the monarchist leanings of the leading man and protests from Conservative MPs about subversive art, an overtly republican play showing how Britain can lose its monarchy will open in Birmingham this week.

Divine Right by Peter Whelan makes little attempt to hide the identity of its protagonists. A picture of Prince William stares out from its posters.

The year is 1999 and Prince Charles has abdicated and married his lover. His 18-year-old son, William, is suddenly heir to the throne and is not overjoyed at the prospect.

He tells his younger brother: "We have to ask ourselves two questions - can doing this job be beneficial to anyone when all we are is joke fodder? And is it humanly possible to do it now it's open season on our private lives?"The prince goes undercover to learn about a country he doesn't understand while the politicians contemplate turning the British from subjects into citizens.

Tory MPs are furious that the Birmingham Repertory Theatre production is being staged with the help of grants from Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Arts.

Warren Hawksley, MP for Halesowen and Stourbridge, said: "I am shocked that public money is being used on anything with such an overt political manifesto. West Midlands Arts should stop whining about not having enough money and should use their money very much more wisely for more orthodox productions rather than pandering to the left wing."

But the play's most striking feature is that it shows republicanism growing in the Tory party. A right-wing Labour prime minister, who looks suspiciously like Tony Blair, is facing pressure from his left wing for constitutional reform. To the Establishment's horror,Tory backbenchers join the cry for a republic.

"Until the Independent on Sunday came out for a republic, the only mainstream publication opposing the monarchy was the right-wing Economist," Mr Whelan said. "Right-wing friends of mine hate the monarchy because it is not meritocratic."

This argument has failed to convince the young actor playing Prince William. He started rehearsals as a republican but now is not so sure. "Look at the effect the Queen had when she visited Dunblane," said William Mannering. "Her visit was more effective than an elected president's would have been."

n Growing support for constitutional reform has led almost two-thirds of voters to conclude that there should be a referendum on the future of the monarchy, according to an opinion poll to be released tomorrow.

Most people would vote to retain the Royal Family, the MORI study for Granada's World in Action found, but levels of republicanism are at an all-time high.

Sixty-one per cent of those questioned wanted the country to be given the right to decide how the head of state should be chosen. Twenty three per cent said they would vote to have an elected head of state while 61 per cent said they wanted the monarchy to continue.

'Divine Right' will run at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 19 April to 11 May.