In the 1960s and 1970s comedian Frankie Howard was one of the major stars of British Television. He was also like many performers of that time a closeted homosexual, as coming out then was considered professional suicide. Homosexuality was still illegal in the UK until the law changed in 1969 but it still took several more years for it to start being accepted by the general public
However, Howard was a bit of a .contradiction as when he was performing, as like other acts like Larry Grayson and Kenneth Williams he was outrageously flamboyant and camp on the stage, mocking what people considered were characteristics of gay men. It didn’t seem to hinder his career, and according to this new play by Mark Farrelly, neither did his secretive personal life.
in 1958, when he was 40 years old, he met 28-year-old Dennis Heymer who was a sommelier at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Heymer became both his lover and his manager and they stayed together as a couple for 30 years until Howard’s death. Even so in private Howard make no secret of the fact he would have preferred not to be gay and did regular LSD-infused sessions with a Therapist to help overcome his issues.
But whilst he was evidently struggling with the issue in private, part of his popularity was all the outrageous sexual innuendis he made on stage. He was a comic genius who always rambled on and looked like he was ad-libbing as his routine flitted from subject to subject with no pauses. There are many comedians today….. particularly Eddie Izzard, who owe a huge debt to Howard and his act.
Howard’s End is a two-hander exploring both the development of Frankie’s comedy and the clandestine union which made it all possible: his extraordinary forty-year relationship with his lover, friend and anchor Dennis Heymer, whose existence was strictly guarded from the public in Frankie’s lifetime. More than simply a tribute show about a comedian who outlasted them all, Howard’s End is also a piercingly honest love story about a relationship that tried to defy every odd – including death.
I would add that I think it is an important part of the mosaic that tells the history of the queer community
Howards End starring Simon Cartwright & Mark Farrelly 14 - 17 Feb King's Head Theatre. London
