Diary of a Somebody

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Matthew was born in Lewisham, South London. [2] As a child he lived in Merle Common, Surrey, and then in nearby Oxted. He spent most of his teenage years in Burnham Market in Norfolk. He was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, and read English at St Peter's College, Oxford. [3] Career [ edit ] There are the events of 1966, detailed in Joe Orton's diaries on which the play based, Lahr catching Orton's delight in transgression and his longtime boyfriend, Kenneth Halliwell's, plunge into depression. There's the 1989 original production of the play, when many of Orton's transgressions had been legalised, but prevailing attitudes were probably best summed up by Tom Robinson's line in 'Glad To Be Gay' - "The buggers are legal now, what more are they after?" And then 2022, when the moral panics that the letters LGBT excite in the media have tilted firmly to the T. with LGB largely met with a shrug of the shoulders if they warrant any reaction at all. He's also a typical man. Subtle doesn't work for him so his tentative friendship with Liz, a woman he (literally) dreams about, is a bit slow to get off the ground. Even when Liz quite obviously asks Brian something where her meaning is quite obvious, for instance, if he would like a nightcap, she gets a monologue with the reasons why he is unable to, or even told that he is watching reruns of A Touch of Frost on the TV that night! Life just gets worse. He sinks deeper and deeper into a state of lethargy, with only the cat for company, and his funny and sometimes subversive poems to lighten his mood. His focus narrows down to his neighbours’ bin day and other habits. He finds it difficult in his depressed state to engage with his teenage son Dylan who visits once a week. Sophie acquires a dynamic partner, the paragon of all virtues, a man whose success does not stop him from doing good deeds and who inspires Brian’s son with motivational quotes. As if life couldn’t get worse, this paragon decides he will relocate to the US taking Sophie and Dylan with him - this, just when Brian was starting to bond really well with his son. His son is reluctant to go. Taken verbatim from Joe Orton's private and often explicit diaries, this raucous and poignant new production is directed by Nico Rao Pimparé ( The Start of Nothing, 2020; Rainer, Arcola Theatre; Candy, King’s Head Theatre). The cast is completed by Jemma Churchill ( Doctor Who, BBC; Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present, NewVic Theatre; NATIVITY! The Musical, UK tour), Jamie Zubairi ( Cucumber, Why The Lion Danced, Yellow Earth; The Letter; Wyndham'sTheatre), Sorcha Kennedy ( Rainer; Arcola Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Comedy of Errors; Petersfield Festival, Sam Wanamaker Festival; Shakespeare's Globe) and Ryan Rajan Mal, making his stage debut.

Diary of a Somebody | christophermatthew Diary of a Somebody | christophermatthew

Nobody must find out about this unique gem, because I’m giving it to EVERYONE, and I want to appear clever and discerning.’ – Dawn French So, to borrow from Jorge Luis Borges, the exact same words sound very differently to different ears - this both diminishes and extends the appeal of the play. In a shared flat somewhere in west London, bachelor Simon Crisp has started work on a diary that strikingly resembles in wit and style the Grossmiths’ Diary of a Nobody, published 120 years ago. a b "Christopher Matthew, Esq Authorised Biography – Debrett's People of Today, Christopher Matthew, Esq Profile". www.debretts.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013 . Retrieved 27 January 2022. St Peter's College, Oxford University – Notable Alumni". Archived from the original on 16 July 2012.

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Three more Men in a Boat (1983)". Bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018 . Retrieved 5 August 2019. Brian’s life certainly needs improving. His ex-wife has taken up with a new man, he seems to constantly disappoint his long-suffering son, and at work he is drowning in a sea of spreadsheets and management jargon. So poetry will be his salvation. But there is an obstacle in the form of Toby Salt, his arch nemesis at Poetry Club and rival suitor to Liz, Brian’s new poetic inspiration.

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The other four members of the cast play a cavalcade of figures, famous and unknown, who breezed through Orton's life at the height of his short-lived fame. Jamie Zubairi delivers a deliciously camp Kenneth Williams, instantly recognised by many in the house a third of a century after his death. Jemma Churchill is terribly good reading the letters Joe wrote to the BBC to complain about... Orton of course! Sorcha Kennedy gives us a neighbour wholly unconcerned about Joe and Ken's lifestyle and fame - just preoccupied with the usual working class Londoner's worries. Ryan Rajah Mal nails the closeted, but also doomed. Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager. Seven Dials Playhouse opened in February 2022 with Steve directed by Andrew Keates. It seeks to provide opportunities for people to collaborate on bold, creative and high quality work while providing journeys of enlightenment and entertainment for artists and audiences alike.Staged for the first time in 35 years, Diary of a Somebody is a deep dive into the mind of one of the most witty, rebellious, and acclaimed artists of his generation. Introducing George Kemp ( Bridgerton, Netflix; Call My Agent, Netflix; The Trial of Christine Keeler, BBC) as notorious artist and playwright Joe Orton, Diary of a Somebody will see Toby Osmond ( Game of Thrones, HBO ; Henry VIII and His Six Wives, BBC; Dead Souls, Monkhead Theatre) take to the stage as his mentor and partner, the actor and writer Kenneth Halliwell. Dylan comes across as quite sensible, intelligent and often seems to be the father figure in his and Brian’s relationship. Does Dylan think Brian is a good dad? Do you? You feel three generations of gay liberation (and catch a glimpse of a fourth, linked to race) in Nico Rao Pimparé's revival of John Lahr's play, Diary Of A Somebody.

Diary of a Somebody by Brian Bilston | The National Review: Diary of a Somebody by Brian Bilston | The National

How on earth am I supposed to review this book? It's part fiction, part poetry, part diary. The sum of the parts though is, in my opinion, a work of genius.Jemma Churchill who played Orton’s agent, Peggy Ramsey, and voiced Edna Wellthorpe (Mrs), occasionally stole the show, and certainly had the biggest laugh of the night with the line ‘my vagina has come up the size of a football’. The rest of the chorus followed with some impressive character work, especially Jamie Zubairi as Kenneth Williams and Sorcha Kennedy as Miss Boynes. The direction, by Nico Rao Pimparé was well thought through, although some scene changes felt a little laboured. Toby Osmond comments, This fantastic play, based on the diary of Joe Orton is as exciting as the stars it stars. Orton's tragically short life was a roller coaster - a big part of which was Halliwell, who I have the privilege to play. I cannot wait to tread the boards again - my first time since Game of Thrones finished - and inhabit this doomed lover and killer. He has written short stories for BBC Radio 4 and his radio plays include A Portrait of Richard Hillary, Madonna's Plumber, [6] and A Nightingale Sang in Fernhurst Road. grāmata gandrīz derētu Ziemassvētku lasāmlistē, jo, kā jau kārtīga dienasgrāmata, sākas 1. janvārī, un beidzas 31. decembrī (ar tam piedienošu svētku noskaņu). Braiens ir šķirtenis tā ap 40+, kurš vada dienas neiedvesmojošā darbā, iet uz vīzdegunīgu grāmatu klubiņu (pilnīgi ne tādu kā mūsējais), kuram nekad nav sagatavojies, un daudz jaukāku dzejas klubu. Lai gan jaukajā dzejas klubā ir tikpat jaukā Liza, neizbēgt arī no savas darvas piles, un to sauc Tobijs Salts - dzejnieks, kura vēl neiznākušais krājums jau ir nodēvēts par gada dzejas grāmatu (un no kura pāris dzejas rindām jums jau smadzenes saiet ķīselī). Un kad Tobijs Salts/Enemy No 1 mīklaini pazūd, Braiena problēmām - nespēja uzrakstīt neko jēdzīgu, darba zaudēšana, sarežģītas attiecības ar pusauga dēlu, kurš, šķiet, labāk saprotas ar savas mātes jauno bojfrendu/seriālo iedvesmotāju, pievienojas arī policijas apciemojumi un nedabiskā interese par viņa dienasgrāmatu. There are fascinating possibilities in this situation. I’d get it down on paper if I were you” said Joe Orton once, the young playwright followed his own advice, and for a period of his short life kept a diary. American theatre critic John Lahr dramatized the diaries in 1989, and the result is Diary of a Somebody which has now opened as the second production at the new Seven Dials Playhouse in London.