Another night at the King’s Head, another feat of astonishing transformation by the chameleonic actor-writer Mark Farrelly. Because delivering one bravura turn as a gay icon isn’t enough apparently (his utterly brilliant Jarman – about Derek – is currently running in repertoire as part of the Islington venue’s ongoing Boys Boys Boys season), Farrelly also reignites his heart-swelling, life-affirming tribute to the self-proclaimed “stately homo of England”, Quentin Crisp. The King’s Head is an appropriate venue for the show as well, since Crisp performed here at the beginning of his career.
‘What they’ve created is roaring, but delicate, ritualistic & totally unique’: JARMAN – King’s Head Theatre ★★★★★
Pitched somewhere between a celebration, a séance and an unusually engaging piece of performance art, Jarman at the King’s Head Theatre eschews linear storytelling in favour of a sensory assault encompassing spoken word, music and direct audience engagement. Some of Jarman’s iconic film works are referenced – Sebastiane, Caravaggio, Edward II, The Tempest, the heartrending Blue which depicts the artist’s slide into blindness – and settings from Ken Russell’s chaotic movie shoots (Jarman designed several of his films) to Derek’s beloved, wall-less Dungeness garden are vividly evoked.
‘Outstanding tribute’: QUENTIN CRISP: NAKED HOPE – Stream Theatre (Online review) ★★★★★
Famous flamboyant, charasmatic homosexual writer, raconteur and actor Quentin Crisp aka Denis Pratt returns to the stage through an entertaining and heartfelt performance by the extremely talented writer and actor Mark Farrelly.
‘Dazzling’: QUENTIN CRISP: NAKED HOPE – Stream Theatre (Online review)
Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope is a fitting tribute to a complex and elegant man who celebrated his own brand of queerness. “I am notorious,” is the cry of this survivor.
‘Uncannily accurate’: QUENTIN CRISP: NAKED HOPE – Stream Theatre (Online review)
The fourth and final Cultural Recovery Fund funded show from production company Seabright has been, like its predecessors, filmed at Wilton’s Music Hall before a live audience and is being streamed via stream.theatre. This is Mark Farrelly’s homage to wilful eccentricity and outré lifestyle Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope.
Streaming now: Mark Farrelly celebrates the legendary Quentin Crisp in Naked Hope
Quentin: Crisp, written and performed by Mark Farrelly and directed by Linda Marlowe, is now available globally via Stream Theatre until Sunday 1 August 2021.
‘It feels classy’: HOWERD’S END – Golden Goose Theatre ★★★★
As a tribute to the many invisible lovers of famous men, Howerd’s End at the Golden Goose Theatre is painfully moving.
Edinburgh Fringe: The Club
Comic bravado: The Club, the latest play from Edinburgh-born actor and writer Ruaraidh Murray, has a fiercely humorous energy and drive.
Review: Naked Hope by Mark Farrelly
I met Quentin Crisp on his first book tour after John Hurt’s daring portrayal in the 1975 TV movie The Naked Civil Servant turned him into an overnight celebrity at the tender age of 66. What struck me was that off-stage he was gentle and charming and calm, but on-stage he was caustic, and arch, […]
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