Plays penned by presidents may not be an obvious entertainment choice, but when the former leader in question is also a world-renowned dramatist in his own right it makes for must-see viewing.

Vaclav Havel's Leaving is his first play in 20 years, during which time he has been at the forefront of Czech politics.

His new drama deals with the painful adjustment of life out of office and drew a huge crowd and rave reviews on its May premiere at the city's Archa Theatre.

The general consensus is that this, his 19th play in total, is also one of his finest, dealing with themes of uncertainty and collapsing values.

But the 71-year-old playwright and leader of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution denies the work is either autobiographical or an attack on his presidential successor, as press have speculated.

Those who miss out on the controversial play in Prague can take comfort from the fact a string of other venues have already snapped it up including London's Orange Tree Theatre in September.