The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion
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The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton
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I had the great pleasure of watching a preview of "The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton" on Tuesday 22 July 2014 at The Drayton Arms in South Kensington. It's magnificent. In a one hour, one man show, Mark Farrelly gives a passionate and credible performance as the English novelist Patrick Hamilton.
Patrick Hamilton, who died of drink in 1962 at the age of 58, was one of the finest English novelists of the 20th century. He was also a successful playwright. His two best known plays, Rope (1929) and Gaslight (1938), were huge hits and were both later adapted for the cinema. Patrick was a rich man by his mid-twenties. However, great novels, successful plays, and material success were only half the story. Patrick came from a dysfunctional family: his father was a delusional, alcoholic, feckless, bullying failed novelist; whilst his mother was protective and maintained an overly close, smothering co-dependent relationship with her favourite son. No surprise then that Patrick had issues, which were further exacerbated after a disfiguring road accident in 1932. Like his father, and his sister, Patrick sought solace in alcohol and, by the end of his life, he was consuming three bottles of whiskey a day.
All of this autobiographical drama finds its way into "The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton", along with an exploration of Patrick's best known plays, Rope and Gaslight, and novels (Craven House (1926), The Midnight Bell (1929), Hangover Square (1941), and The Slaves of Solitude (1947)). Mark Farrelly is a compelling performer who perfectly evokes the desperation, absurdity and black humour of Patrick's world, and indeed of life in general.
"The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton" is on as part of the Edinburgh Festival 2014, and will then be on in London during the Autumn. Even if you know nothing about Patrick Hamilton, there's much to enjoy in this show. If, like me, you're an enthusiastic admirer of his work, then you'll appreciate the skill of the performance and the extraordinary achievement of packing so much about Patricks life and work into just one hour. Highly recommended.
Might you be able to send me copies of the (wonderful) photos you took at the Drayton Arms the other night? I'd like to put them on my Edinburgh listings page. My email is mark.farrelly@talk21.comMark
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Actually just a few photos I discreetly took with my phone as I didn't want to disrupt the performance by clicking away with a proper camera.
You can download them from Flickr. To do this...
Click on the photo to enlarge
Click on the arrow pointing downwards
Choose your size and then click the blue "Download" box
And that will save the image to your computer (you should have a file which stores downloads)
I'll email them over too.
Mod
25th September - 11th October 2014
Tuesday - Saturday at 9:30pm
Saturday matinee at 4pm
Sunday matinee at 3pm
Tickets £12.00 (£10.00 Conc.)
Saturday & Sunday Matinees £10.00
http://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/th...
'Farrelly inhabits the character of Hamilton with a blazing fluidity...you won't be able to take your eyes off this magnetic actor'
★★★★ - The Times
"Horrifyingly funny...brilliant." - The Spectator
Patrick Hamilton was one of the most celebrated English writers of the 1930s, whose hit plays (Rope, Gaslight) and novels (Hangover Square) penetratingly and wittily explored both a drink-sodden Soho milieu, and the dark, destructive forces at the core of the human psyche.
Burgeoning alcoholism and a super-chaotic personal life took a mighty toll on Hamilton's output, leaving him unjustly forgotten in the canon of English literature. Now, for the first time, his extraordinary true story is told in this bitingly truthful solo show, which blends original writing with extracts from Hamilton's finest works, and sees the author facing the ultimate question:
"How is it you can get from one end of life to the other without feeling that another human being ever truly knew you?"
Written and performed by MARK FARRELLY (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, West End), who is fresh from a major success at this year's Edinburgh Festival as writer / performer of Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope, which is about to embark on a national tour. Directed by LINDA MARLOWE, who is internationally renowned for her 25-year creative association with Steven Berkoff, and her own solo work, including Berkoff's Women and The World's Wife.
http://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/th...
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Mark Farrelly on biographical theatre and The Silence of Snow, his one man show about the life of Patrick Hamilton which opens this week at the Old Red Lion.
http://exeuntmagazine.com/features/sl...
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Mark Farrelly is doing some more performances - this time at the Rialto in Brighton - eight performances starting this Thursday.
There's also a post-show talk on Sunday 24th May with Mark, Nigel Jones (Patrick's biographer) and Linda Marlowe.
21-24, 28-31 May 18:30 £9.50 (£8) [1hr]
More info & booking here:
https://boxoffice.brightonfringe.org/...
Visceral solo show on Sussex-born writer Patrick Hamilton, author of classic plays 'Rope' & 'Gaslight' and iconic novels including 'Hangover Square' and 'The West Pier'. In the late 50s, desperate to escape chronic alcoholism, Patrick turns to electro-therapy. An hour before his last treatment, he surveys the highs & lows of his tattered existence. Writer/ Performer: Mark Farrelly. Director: Linda Marlowe.
Post-show talk: Sun 24th May 8pm. Guest speaker: Nigel Jones. Donations to MIND in Brighton.
Sadly I can't make the talk as I'm away over that weekend but hope to see the show again on one of the other evenings. I highly recommend it to all appreciators of our man Patrick.
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9 Nov, 10 Nov, 12 Nov, 14 Nov, 15 Nov
at Kings Head Theatre
Highly recommended...
https://kingsheadtheatre.ticketsolve....
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As little as just one pound gets your name in the first edition, £15 gets you a signed copy.
Come and get involved...
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Mark Farrelly set it up as an event on our events page.
An Edinburgh preview of a brand new play about the life of Patrick Hamilton. The show is written and performed by Mark Farrelly ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", West End) and directed by Linda Marlowe.
A powerful 60-minute exploration of Hamilton's life, which then moves to the Edinburgh Festival in August.
The Drayton Arms is a small venue and there are only a few remaining tickets. Farrelly plays Hamilton at every stage of his life, from boyhood aspirant writer to the fading spirit of the 1960s. A riveting dissection of an extraordinary life.
I'm going. If anyone else from The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society is going then give me a shout.