LONDON: Just eighteen months after the curtain fell on London's hit-comedy, The Marty & Marco Show, a revival opened to a rapt audience in the Victorian-Gothic splendor of London's High Court.
Although starring the same lead performers, the plot takes a different tack, switching from its former theme of libel to twin sub-plots of breach of contract and wrongful dismissal.
But as is common in showbiz, the stars are delaying their entrances until the audience is well and truly warmed-up by the supporting performers.
On Monday the curtain rose on two such members of the WPP Group repertory company: Dominic Proctor, ceo of MindShare Worldwide and United Group chief operating officer Laurence Mellman. As expected they faithfully adhered to the script as translated by the show's co-star, Sir Martin Sorrell.
His partner, Marco Benatti, the former country mnanager of WPP Italia, is likewise waiting in the wings for his cue to make a grand entrance.
A resumé of the plot to date: WPP is seeking unspecified damages as the result of Benatti's alleged breach of terms "as expressed and implied" in his consultancy agreement with the company.
The world's second largest marketing services holding company also alleges fraud and the setting-up of competitive businesses.
Benatti denies any improprieties while employed by WPP and counters with charges of damage to his professional reputation resulting from leaks to the media about the reasons for termination of his employment.
And the value of the damages sought by Benatti? In classic Italian tradition Omertà reigns.
Although starring the same lead performers, the plot takes a different tack, switching from its former theme of libel to twin sub-plots of breach of contract and wrongful dismissal.
But as is common in showbiz, the stars are delaying their entrances until the audience is well and truly warmed-up by the supporting performers.
On Monday the curtain rose on two such members of the WPP Group repertory company: Dominic Proctor, ceo of MindShare Worldwide and United Group chief operating officer Laurence Mellman. As expected they faithfully adhered to the script as translated by the show's co-star, Sir Martin Sorrell.
His partner, Marco Benatti, the former country mnanager of WPP Italia, is likewise waiting in the wings for his cue to make a grand entrance.
A resumé of the plot to date: WPP is seeking unspecified damages as the result of Benatti's alleged breach of terms "as expressed and implied" in his consultancy agreement with the company.
The world's second largest marketing services holding company also alleges fraud and the setting-up of competitive businesses.
Benatti denies any improprieties while employed by WPP and counters with charges of damage to his professional reputation resulting from leaks to the media about the reasons for termination of his employment.
And the value of the damages sought by Benatti? In classic Italian tradition Omertà reigns.
Data sourced from AdWeek (USA); additional content by WARC staff
