Hopelessly Devoted

by Kae Tempest

Freedom has only ever meant
Love.
And life lived without love
Is not life enough.

Chess is in prison. Facing a lengthy sentence, her cell mate, Serena, becomes her soul mate. But when Serena is given parole, Chess faces total isolation.

Hope comes in the form of a music producer looking for a reason to love music again. She finds a powerful voice in Chess. But to harness her talent, Chess must first face her past.

Featuring Kate Tempest's trademark lyrical fireworks and live music, this is a story of love and redemption.

Hopelessly Devoted received its world premiere on 19 September 2013 at the DOOR, Birmingham Rep, co-produced by Paines Plough and Birmingham Rep. It toured the UK again in 2014.

Genres: Plays, Poetry, Fiction, Theatre

104 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2014

Reviews

[Tiphaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

allez les lesbiennes

[Frederike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hopelessly Devoted is a most interesting high-paced play with lots of moving songs and three complex female characters, of whom two are in prison at the start of the play, and two are out of prison at the end of the play, whose interactions and words are heartfelt; in short, a play I'd love to see on stage

[Agathe 🧚🏻‍♀️🍧 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je suis trop triste de mettre 2⭐️ parce que 1) j’avais ADORÉ Fracassés 2) la prison/les femmes sont des thématiques qui m’importent et me touchent particulièrement, notamment la détresse émotionnelle qui peut venir de l’isolement, on sait que les femmes sont plus facilement abandonnées que les hommes en prison

Mais le fait est que… je me suis fait chier :(
Les moments de poésie/chanson m’ont pas du tout émue, j’ai trouvé ça bateau/cliché au possible

Les dialogues étaient sans âme, plus small talk c’est difficile à faire je crois

Donc pour résumé : sur un sujet qui pourrait me faire pleurer hyper facilement je n’ai ressenti que de l’ennui :(

Maybe c’est juste la traduction le problème ? Je sais pas

[Irene Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Was so well written. And the story line was amazing.

[Armelle Fontaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good theater scene with lesbian love and jail. orange is the new black vibe but i'm living for it

[Manon Dedieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bien écris avec une jolie histoire mais c’est pas un truc de fou non plus

[Dogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Franchement non. Livre fini en 35 minutes. Beaucoup trop facile, trop rapide. Je n’ai pas réellement ressenti d’émotions, on ne s’attache pas aux personnages.

[Mathilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup aimé l'écriture, le rapport à la musique, le fait qu'il n'y ait que des personnages féminins, la relation entre Chess et Serena, vraiment un très bon moment !

[iris and her library · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good play, with a very strong start that got a little muddled towards the end

[Katherine Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Chess: If you lose, it's your fault. It's not about the winner's skill, it's about the loser's mistakes. If you take your eye off the board, you'r opening yourself up to lose. It's like life. You fuck up, you have to deal with it."

Very simple in it's production and wording but Tempest captures the strong undercurrents of hope and a sense of freedom.

[Terry Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucky to have seen a production of this as well :)