As I sat down to watch Chickenshed’s latest production, Trumpets And Raspberries, I expected to watch a two hour show about America’s controversial 45th President, Donald Trump.

Since becoming leader only a month ago, he has attempted to ban Muslims from entering the country and reversed climate change regulations introduced by former President Obama.

However, despite his overbearing presence in the media all over the world, the show at the inclusive theatre focuses on a different outrageous person with power: the Italian 20th century political figure Gianni Agnelli, who was also a principal shareholder of Fiat.

Chickenshed’s spring season of shows are all exploring themes of hidden identity and freedom, and Trumpets And Raspberries is the first in a long line of many more to come over the next few months.

Comedian Rob Crouch stars as both the two main characters, Gianni, who is injured in a failed kidnap attempt, and also a man named Antonio, who is one of Gianni’s employees.

Antonio flees the scene when people start shooting at him, leaving his jacket on Agnelli’s body. Agnelli is taken to hospital in Antonio’s jacket, where he mistakenly has his face reconstructed in Antonio’s likeness and finds himself the chief suspect in a kidnap plot - against himself.

The play is the first major staging of the rarely seen work by Dario Fo, who was one of the key figures of European theatre and literature of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Rob has played iconic characters in the past and recently finished touring the sell-out play, Oliver Reed: Wild Thing, where he played the legendary womanising actor, who was known for his role as Bill Sykes in the 1968 musical Oliver!

He also worked with Ricky Gervais two years ago in the television show Galavant, which aired on the American network ABC.

In Chickenshed’s new production, which is directed by Lou Stein, Rob skilfully switches between the two characters. As Gianni, he was convincing in his role as an influential but slightly bewildered authoritative figure, which contrasted with his other persona, the scruffy Antonio.

Belinda McGuirk was also a standout as Antonio’s wife, Rosa, who slowly becomes increasingly more hysterical throughout the play, as she tries to cope with her husband’s new personality, unaware that she was living with a different person.

Trumpets And Raspberries was well-acted and delved into a story that was full of surprises and humour and thankfully, it was also a distraction from the real-life political crisis happening around the world at the moment.

Star-rating: ****

Trumpets And Raspberries, Chickenshed, Chase Side, Southgate, N14 4PE, until Saturday, March 4, 7.30pm, details: 020 8292 9222, chickenshed.org.uk/trumpets