Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope at the King’s Head Theatre

From a conventional upbringing to global notoriety via The Naked Civil Servant, Quentin Crisp was one of the most memorable figures of the twentieth century. Openly gay as early as the 1930s, Quentin spent decades being beaten up on London’s streets for refusing to be anything less than himself. His courage, and the philosophy that evolved from those experiences, inspire to the present day.

Naked Hope depicts Quentin at two phases of his extraordinary life: alone in his Chelsea flat in the 1960s, certain that life has passed him by, and thirty years later, performing An Evening with Quentin Crisp in New York. Packed with witty gems on everything from cleaning (“Don’t bother – after the first four years the dust won’t get any worse”) to marriage (“Is there life after marriage? The answer is no”), Naked Hope is a glorious, uplifting celebration of the urgent necessity to be your true self.

Depicted by Mark Farrelly who is also currently playing Jarman at the same venue, Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope shows the life of this most fascinating man.  I have read a few of Quentin’s books myself so I was able to recognise a few of the direct quotes used in this performance, which gives just some insight into how well researched the script is.

Quentin was larger than life and full of charm and Farrelly’s performance here captures this perfectly, with the audience being won over by him almost instantly.  It’s a performance that is a joy to watch and completely engaging.  He captures Quentin’s unique way of speaking and moving exceptionally well and you can see how this subtly changes as he ages.    There’s an element of cosiness to this show which makes you feel like you are settling into gossip with a close friend.

This biographical theatre performance is laugh-out-loud funny,  full of charm and captures this unique eccentric character perfectly.  Catch Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope at the King’s Head Theatre (where confidently Quentin Crisp performed his first ever show in 1975) until the 27th of August, tickets start from £15.