Phillip Ward in collaboration with The Gene Frankel Theatre
Present
ACT TWO
an excerpt from the play
QUENTIN CRISP: THE LAST WORD
an excerpt from the play
QUENTIN CRISP: THE LAST WORD
By Quentin Crisp
Adapted by Phillip Ward and Brian Edward
Read by George Tower
Directed and Produced by Phillip Ward
in collaboration with The Gene Frankel Theatre
Adapted by Phillip Ward and Brian Edward
Read by George Tower
Directed and Produced by Phillip Ward
in collaboration with The Gene Frankel Theatre
Monday
November 21, 2022
A benefit performance supporting
The Gene Frankel Theatre and 24 Bond Arts Center
November 21, 2022
A benefit performance supporting
The Gene Frankel Theatre and 24 Bond Arts Center
Tickets
$20
Cash at the door
Cash at the door
THE GENE FRANKEL THEATRE
24 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012
genefrankeltheatre@gmail.com
genefrankeltheatre.com
24 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012
genefrankeltheatre@gmail.com
genefrankeltheatre.com
Quentin Crisp: The Last Word, a new play adapted from the posthumously published autobiography of author and icon Quentin Crisp, premiered at the Hamburg Studio of Pittsburgh's City Theatre on February 6, 2020, and was adapted for the stage by Phillip Ward and Brian Edward. And Mr. Edward, a performing and literary artist, director, playwright, and long-time Crisp aficionado, performed the one-person stage production directed by Spenser Whale. This evening's reading of ACT TWO (an excerpt from the play Quentin Crisp: The Last Word) is by George Tower, a friend of Mr. Crisp.
Derived from the books Quentin Crisp: The Last Word (an autobiography) and Quentin Crisp: And One More Thing, the play represents Quentin's profound attempt to tell us what the lessons of his nearly ninety-one years on the planet have been. We get what Quentin rarely permitted himself to share about his life in any other public forum: we get his heart, his untrammeled feelings about what the gift of his life has meant to him. It is a view of Quentin Crisp not shared with the public in his lifetime. It is personal. Unusual. And this is what makes Quentin Crisp: The Last Word (the play) an immeasurable gift. Tonight's unique treasure is to introduce ACT TWO (an excerpt from the play Quentin Crisp: The Last Word) at The Gene Frankel Theatre as a benefit for the theatre and to generate financial interest in premiering a New York City production.
One compelling reason for presenting this show is to introduce Quentin Crisp to a new audience. To a new generation who might not be aware of his importance in gay literature and history and to gay rights in general. Quentin's relevance is endless. His primary mission was his immediate happiness. He was a philosopher, an observer of life, a survivor, and a beacon of hope, and he leaves behind a legacy of which Quentin Crisp: The Last Word (an autobiography) is his swansong. And written in a similar style as his one-person show and filled with Mr. Crisp's rich words and language, Quentin Crisp: The Last Word (the play) brings Quentin's final autobiography to life. Tonight's reading of ACT TWO (an excerpt from the play Quentin Crisp: The Last Word) will offer a glimpse into that existence.
Quentin Crisp was the author of the classic and flamboyantly eccentric, coming-of-age memoir The Naked Civil Servant. The award-winning film version of The Naked Civil Servant, starring John Hurt, made him an instant international celebrity. Crisp also wrote numerous books and articles about his life and his opinions on style, fashion, and movies. Often hailed as the 20th-century Oscar Wilde, Quentin Crisp was famous for his aphoristic witticisms. He performed his one-person show, An Evening with Quentin Crisp, to acclaim in theaters worldwide, spreading his unique philosophy: "Never keep up with the Joneses; drag them down to your level. It's cheaper." During the second part of his show, Crisp answered questions from the audience and advised audience members about how to find their style and live a happy life. He was always in the "profession of being."
Quentin Crisp was Oscar Wilde's perfect descendant. With his calculated, caustic words, open homosexuality, and wittily provocative attitude toward conventionality, Crisp caused a bit of a stir in conservative England during the 1950s and 1960s and even through the 1970s. In 1981, at age 72, Quentin Crisp moved to New York City, bringing along his familiar and witty remarks and eccentricity. Quentin Crisp charmed everyone and became "the face of a modern rebel." He delighted us publicly and privately with his inimitable grace, wit, and genius. Quentin Crisp died on the eve of touring his show in Manchester, England, on November 21, 1999.
Crisp's estate executor Phillip Ward invites you to a night of celebration to commemorate the legendary life of Quentin Crisp on this twenty-third anniversary of his passing and the reading of ACT TWO (an excerpt from the play Quentin Crisp: The Last Word) at and in collaboration with The Gene Frankel Theatre.
Phillip Ward
Derived from the books Quentin Crisp: The Last Word (an autobiography) and Quentin Crisp: And One More Thing, the play represents Quentin's profound attempt to tell us what the lessons of his nearly ninety-one years on the planet have been. We get what Quentin rarely permitted himself to share about his life in any other public forum: we get his heart, his untrammeled feelings about what the gift of his life has meant to him. It is a view of Quentin Crisp not shared with the public in his lifetime. It is personal. Unusual. And this is what makes Quentin Crisp: The Last Word (the play) an immeasurable gift. Tonight's unique treasure is to introduce ACT TWO (an excerpt from the play Quentin Crisp: The Last Word) at The Gene Frankel Theatre as a benefit for the theatre and to generate financial interest in premiering a New York City production.
One compelling reason for presenting this show is to introduce Quentin Crisp to a new audience. To a new generation who might not be aware of his importance in gay literature and history and to gay rights in general. Quentin's relevance is endless. His primary mission was his immediate happiness. He was a philosopher, an observer of life, a survivor, and a beacon of hope, and he leaves behind a legacy of which Quentin Crisp: The Last Word (an autobiography) is his swansong. And written in a similar style as his one-person show and filled with Mr. Crisp's rich words and language, Quentin Crisp: The Last Word (the play) brings Quentin's final autobiography to life. Tonight's reading of ACT TWO (an excerpt from the play Quentin Crisp: The Last Word) will offer a glimpse into that existence.
Quentin Crisp was the author of the classic and flamboyantly eccentric, coming-of-age memoir The Naked Civil Servant. The award-winning film version of The Naked Civil Servant, starring John Hurt, made him an instant international celebrity. Crisp also wrote numerous books and articles about his life and his opinions on style, fashion, and movies. Often hailed as the 20th-century Oscar Wilde, Quentin Crisp was famous for his aphoristic witticisms. He performed his one-person show, An Evening with Quentin Crisp, to acclaim in theaters worldwide, spreading his unique philosophy: "Never keep up with the Joneses; drag them down to your level. It's cheaper." During the second part of his show, Crisp answered questions from the audience and advised audience members about how to find their style and live a happy life. He was always in the "profession of being."
Quentin Crisp was Oscar Wilde's perfect descendant. With his calculated, caustic words, open homosexuality, and wittily provocative attitude toward conventionality, Crisp caused a bit of a stir in conservative England during the 1950s and 1960s and even through the 1970s. In 1981, at age 72, Quentin Crisp moved to New York City, bringing along his familiar and witty remarks and eccentricity. Quentin Crisp charmed everyone and became "the face of a modern rebel." He delighted us publicly and privately with his inimitable grace, wit, and genius. Quentin Crisp died on the eve of touring his show in Manchester, England, on November 21, 1999.
Crisp's estate executor Phillip Ward invites you to a night of celebration to commemorate the legendary life of Quentin Crisp on this twenty-third anniversary of his passing and the reading of ACT TWO (an excerpt from the play Quentin Crisp: The Last Word) at and in collaboration with The Gene Frankel Theatre.
Phillip Ward
Crisperanto: The Quentin Crisp Archives
crisperanto.org ~ contact@crisperanto.org
212.254.0508
crisperanto.org ~ contact@crisperanto.org
212.254.0508