The arrival of a new (old) head of state in a former British colony will have grabbed the attention of most readers, given that it was headline news at the beginning of the week.

At face value, subject to any impact that this might have on the economy and therefore the financial well-being of the theatre sector, the news would not immediately seem to have great relevance for those of us in the arts. However, high-profile figures who feed off publicity can often have a surprisingly large influence on the theatre, even if those involved have no interest in the art form.

Some may recall the controversy last time around when the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park produced a version of Julius Caesar in which the eponymous protagonist bore a distinct resemblance to a man who takes umbrage (and legal action?) when he thinks that he is the victim of satire. This precedent could be the start of something more substantial after the second coming.

Producers and playwrights across the United States and the length and breadth of our own kingdom are almost certainly already planning new creations that honour the strangely daubed and haired senior citizen who has taken up a new post at an age when most would be eagerly contemplating the latter years of retirement. Information about following potential shows might (or might not) have been obtained using the latest Chinese or Israeli spyware to tap into the thoughts of the great and the good.

Shakespeare didn’t stop at Julius Caesar when it came to opportunities in this area. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine a production of Measure for Measure in which the oversexed, duplicitous Angelo might act as a role model.

For those who are more interested in the political undercurrent, Richard III, whose main physical impediment could be a badly-designed toupee, should be on the agenda along with Iago, an equally arch schemer and racist to boot. Macbeth falls into the same category, especially when it comes to a desire to stab your predecessor in the back, although the metaphor might have been closer had Malcolm been indicted for offences never committed.

If Shakespeare feels a little too highbrow, then many Americans would probably appreciate a revival of Oliver in which dodgy criminal Fagin is picking a pocket or two from a position of rather higher office than heretofore.

On a larger scale, the somewhat murky financial aspects of a political and economic climate that would undoubtedly put a smile on the face of Gordon Gecko might also be put into perspective by a revival of Lucy Prebble’s Enron. You can almost hear children screaming at the deprivation, unless they are given an opportunity to share in the fun.

Pleasingly, there are a couple of obvious channels. A Pied Piper followed by hordes of billionaires could be a good option, although the ending might be more likely to resemble Julius Caesar than the traditional version. Perhaps a better alternative could be Cinderella, in which our hero plays the Wicked Stepmother and a couple of ultra-wealthy wannabe space cadets take the roles of the Ugly Sisters.

In some ways, it could also be argued that Don Juan shares many of the characteristics of a serial ladies’ man, who believes that his life has been personally guided and perhaps even saved by a higher being, permitting freedom to please innumerable women (not that any of the victims seem to understand the honour granted to them).

Each of these would take at least a little adaptation to achieve the desired result. However, there are two plays featuring eccentric characters might fit the bill virtually untouched.

While Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove has been a cult movie for decades, it has more recently transferred to the stage, and viewers might recognise many parallels with the topsy-turvy world today.

It has often been posited that Bertolt Brecht had someone else in mind when he wrote The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, but, if this was revived today with the traditional moustache dyed and pasted on to the hero’s forehead, you would swear that the great German had risen from the dead and created Ui and his henchmen with some of America’s finest in mind.