THIS IS A SPONSORED FEATURE
From a conventional Surrey upbringing, where he was born Denis Charles Pratt, to global notoriety via The Naked Civil Servant, Quentin Crisp was an extraordinary raconteur and wit. This new production, fresh from its London premiere after an Edinburgh season, shows Quentin both in his beloved Chelsea flat as the 1970s dawned, and in his final years in his adopted New York, with the new millennium beckoning.
New script
The show draws on Quentin’s own writing and performances in a new script by Mark Farrelly, who also performs (West End credits include Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf with Matthew Kelly).
In the intimate setting of the Boathouse, this show gives a fascinating insight into the varied life of one of the twentieth-century’s most interesting characters whose views on life and society remain relevant today.
Thought provoking performance
Although, quite deliberately, you never get close enough to Crisp to really understand how and why he made the choices he did, you’ll leave with plenty to think about.
Age guide 14+
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile, Be yourself no matter what they say. -Lyric from ‘AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK’, written by Sting about Quentin Crisp
Yet in both script and performance, Farrelly nails far more than just Crisp’s wit here; in a well-mannered way, you learn to sense the genuine intellect and heart and mind of a man who was far braver than many of us would like to think.
Broadway Baby
Mark Farrelly combines extrovert charm, effete self-possession and waspish intelligence. Daily Telegraph
Uncanny…Farrelly’s mastery of his audience is total.
Time Out
The play written and performed by Mark Farrelly is directed by Linda Marlowe
Book now
Naked Hope is performed at the Isle of Arts Festival on Sunday 3rd May at 8pm at The Boathouse at The Spyglass (Ventnor seafront).
Tickets are £10.
Book your tickets through the Isle of Arts Festival Website or in person from Seasons newsagent on Ventnor High Street.
Our thanks to organisers of the Isle of Arts Festival for sponsoring this feature. Please support them, as they and other businesses taking paid promotion enables you to continue reading OnTheWight for free
