Jarman ☆☆☆☆☆
Greenwich Theatre, London
”Decadence is a sign of intelligence.” This quote, spoken by Mark Farrelly (Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope, Howerd’s End) as Derek Jarman in his new solo play Jarman, reminded me of the brilliant mind we lost to AIDS in 1994. You could always rely on Jarman to give an intelligent, witty, thought-provoking quote. Imagine the quotes he would have given us over the last 28 years since his passing.
The renowned film-maker, painter, gardener at Prospect Cottage, activist and writer lived an extraordinary life. His story, however, has never been told. Until now.
Farrelly’s vibrant play, directed by the talented cabaret director Sarah-Louise Young, brings Jarman back into being for a passionate, daring reminder of the courage it takes to truly live while you’re alive. Currently, on tour around the UK, tonight’s performance at the wonderful Greenwich Theatre in London marked what would have been Jarman’s 80th birthday and was accompanied by poetic after-show reminisces by some of his friends and collaborators including fellow activist Peter Tatchell, actor Jenny Runacre and singer-songwriter Sarah Jane Morris alongside others.
Farrelly is a very talented actor. As well as sounding and looking like Jarman, he really brings the witty, mischievous, authentic Jarman soul back to life. He’s armed on stage with only a very few props – a chair, a roll of brown paper, a white sheet, and a multi-colored torch. This is a confident performance – full of very well-thought-through details – and one that Jarman would have loved.
We are taken on a journey through Jarman’s life – from his childhood at boarding school, through to Slade art school in the 1960s, his discovery of London’s 70s and 80s queer nightlife, including Heaven, and his passage into avant-garde film-making, writing and producing art during that time. We see him find love with Keith, his long-term partner and also his joy at creating his unique garden at home at Prospect Cottage in Dungeness. The most poignant part of the play is Jarman’s subsequent diagnosis of HIV and AIDS.
The late 1980s and early ’90s were heady times in the UK. Queer visibility, activism, and nightlife flourished but this was set against a backdrop of hundreds of people dying of AIDS annually, as well as there being very little effective treatment available for those with sometimes horrendous, AIDS symptoms. Jarman was one of the key public faces of the AIDS pandemic because of his courageous declaration of his illness in the late 80s. Farrelly sensitively takes us back to the time we watched in horror as Jarman died quite vocally in a very harrowing way at just 52.
Derek Jarman was vibrant, beautiful, fun and relentlessly inspiring. This play will reawaken your love for the man. Highly recommended.
For details of the JARMAN UK Tour http://markfarrelly.co.uk/2015-schedule/
Review: Ris Fatah Queerguru Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
