Direct from its' season at Melbourne's fortyfivedownstairs, the Seymour Centre is proud to present Paul Capsis as Quentin Crisp in Resident Alien, as part of The Reginald Season from 12-23rd July.
From his early years as an androgynous nude model in 1930s London, to finding fame as the first to speak so openly about life as a gay man, there was no one quite like Quentin Crisp.
Directed by Green Room Award winner Gary Abrahams, UK playwright Tim Fountain's Resident Alien invites audiences in to the legendary writer's famously filthy New York apartment for an unforgettable heart-to-heart about life as only he knows it. Oprah Winfrey, Princess Diana, oral s*x - no topic is off limits as Quentin explains, in his inimitable way, how to be happy.
"He was THE prototype androgynous man," says Capsis. "Before Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Liberace, Reg Livermore, before the times we could categorise or describe a person as transgender or sexually ambiguous, there was Quentin."
From his AFI award nominated role in Head On, to his recent appearance in the Sydney Theatre Company and Malthouse Theatre's Calpurnia Descending, Capsis has forged a remarkable career playing with androgyny. In Resident Alien, he relishes the opportunity to pay tribute to a personal hero.
"When it really was dangerous to play with gender, Quentin went there with his blue eye shadow, permed purple hair and his cravats and lapelled gardenia's, prancing down the war torn streets of homophobic London in the 40s,' explained Capsis.
'With razor sharp wit and frank telling of how he saw the world, nothing was spared. He was like a Joan Rivers without the punch lines. In this regard, Quentin Crisp was a most important figure. A lone revolutionist. We need to be reminded of people like him, before the times of Caitlyn Jenner and the Kardashians!"
Writer Tim Fountain
Director Gary Abrahams
Producer Cameron Lukey
Set/Costume Designer Romanie Harper
Lighting Designer Rob Sowinski
Sound Designer Daniel Nixon
Quentin Crisp Paul Capsis
RESIDENT ALIEN
Dates: 12-23 July, 2016
Venue: The Reginald Theatre, the Seymour Centre (Corner City Rd and Cleveland Street Chippendale)
Tickets: Adult $48, Concession $42
For further information, program information and bookings, visit www.seymourcentre.com or phone the Seymour Centre Box Office on 02 9351 7940.
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