This show examines the fundamental guts of two of Britain’s best loved stage animals, Maggie Smith and Kenneth Williams, both on a journey together to master their craft. The show explores the actor’s craft and how the pair went about ‘colouring in the words’.
Playing with the juxtaposition of the ‘performer’ in public and private, the narrative not only includes Kenneth’s and Maggie’s success, but a sensitive portrayal of issues such as depression, OCD, and the loneliness of Kenneth’s one bedroom flat. Through the use of projections, Tom examines their characters as apparitions within the theatre, and considers his own relationship with the late artist Clare Thornton. Their shining intimacy belongs to a particular moment in history, allowing narrator Tom to reflect on this close friendship of his own, now lost.
Television and radio interviews, newspaper articles, diaries, and memoirs, have created the backbone for this new work by Tom Marshman.
#ShiningIntimacy
Supported by Arts Council England, Strike a Light, Bristol Old Vic and Bristol Pride
“British theatre would be completely stymied without tiny, under-resourced venues such as CPT, which are a critical part of the theatre ecology.”
Lyn Gardner Stagedoor
