Bowl down to Hope Mill Theatre this July and you can check out two new productions, ‘All I Want is One Night’ about the life and music of a gay cabaret singer and ‘The True History of The Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, The Ugliest Woman in the World’ which not only has one of the longest titles in existence – it’s also performed completely in the dark!
Watershed Productions in association with the Royal Exchange Theatre present ‘All I Want is One Night‘, an intoxicating new play by and starring Jessica Walker about the life and music of gay cabaret sensation Suzy Solidor who thrilled 1930’s Paris with her saucy lesbian love songs.
The first woman to own her own nightclub in Paris, Suzy Solidor was the original self-made celebrity, releasing best-selling songs and having her image captured by many of the great artists of the day, including Tamara de Lempicka, Man Ray, Francis Bacon and Jean Cocteau.
This intimate show takes you back to a night in her club at the height of her fame. During an increasingly whisky-fuelled evening, as Suzy regales the audience with her most famous songs, past and present begin to collide: she encounters past lovers, artists, her absent father, and finally herself.
‘The True History of The Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, The Ugliest Woman in the World‘ is a terrible, tender true story of the life of Julia Pastrana, sold to a freak show age 16 because of her congenital disfigurement, and married to the owner. She was exhibited all over the world, and had a child, but then dreadful things happened.
Performed in the pitch black, this play is not for those afraid of the dark. But it is more than a radio play. You will sense the actors walking around as they speak, whispering in your ear, caressing your face with fabric, and you will smell the smells, hear even the most intimate noises, and at times you will think you’re the only one in the theatre.
Written by Shaun Prendergast and originally produced at Battersea Arts Centre in 2005, it won 5 stars from The Guardian and The Evening Standard, and Time Out Critics’ Choice of the Year. This production is a revival of the original London production.
Both plays will be running concurrently, with ‘Julia Pastrana’ on before ‘All I Want Is One Night. You can buy tickets separately, or alternatively take advantage of joint tickets at a reduced rate.
The True History of The Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, The Ugliest Woman in the World
Tues 4th – Sun 9th July at 7.30pm
Sat 8th -Sun 9th July at 5.30pm
All I Want is One Night
Tues 4th – Thu 6th July at 9.15pm
Fri 7th – Sun 9th July at 9.15pm
Matinees Sat 8th & Sun 9th July at 2.30pm
Hope Mill Theatre, 113 Pollard St, Manchester M4 7JA
0161 275 9141
hopemilltheatre.co.uk/
