Debonair dandy and non-conformist Quentin Crisp is celebrated in the acclaimed production, Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope, at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne on Saturday 7th November, for two performances only.
From a conventional Surrey upbringing to international notoriety via The Naked Civil Servant, Quentin Crisp was an extraordinary raconteur and wit. This new solo performance shows Quentin both in his beloved and filthy Chelsea flat (“After the first four years the dirt doesn’t get any worse”) in the 1970s, and in his final years in his adopted New York, with the new millennium beckoning.
The show draws on Quentin’s own writing and performances in a new script by Mark Farrelly, who also performs. His West End credits include Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (with Matthew Kelly) and he has also appeared in a wide range of other plays across the UK and internationally.
Quentin Crisp was an enigmatic figure who became a cultural icon on both sides of the Atlantic late in life following the 1975 TV adaptation of his autobiography The Naked Civil Servant starring John Hurt. He inspired The Sting song Englishman in New York and became a self-styled “Stately Homo” and English eccentric.
With a blaze of purple hair, a fedora and elaborate dress sense, writer, actor and artists model Quentin was an extravagant figure whose life is celebrated in this one-man show. This first UK tour follows the show’s premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which led to an immediate transfer to an acclaimed London season at St James Theatre.
See Quentin Crisp, Naked Hope at Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne on Saturday 7th November at 2.30pm and 7.45pm. Tickets are priced at £18, with concessions available, and can be booked through the box office on 01323 412000 or online at www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk.
