Her Naked Skin

Last updated

Her Naked Skin is a 2008 play by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, and was the first original play by a female writer to be produced at the Olivier Theatre at London's Royal National Theatre (two earlier plays written by women had been adaptations: Pam Gems's adaptation of The Seagull in 1991, and Helen Edmundson's Coram Boy in 2005). [1] The premiere was directed by Howard Davies. In an interview, the National's director Nicholas Hytner stated "[Lenkiewicz's] new play ... will take its place in the Olivier rep alongside work by Shaw, Middleton and Tony Harrison." [2]

Contents

Plot

The play is set during British women's struggle for the vote in the early 20th century, beginning with a suffragette trying to pin a suffragette sash on the kings horse at the Derby and ending with the outbreak of World War I. It is centred on a love-affair between two fictional suffragettes, one upper-class called Lady Celia Cain (played in the premiere by Lesley Manville) and the other working-class called Eve Douglas (played in the premiere by Jemima Rooper). Much of the play is set in the cells of a prison where the characters are repeatedly sent.

Inception

In a National Theatre programme note, Lenkiewicz has written "I used to work at the National Film Theatre as an usherette and on my breaks I'd often go out to the river with a cup of tea and scour the bookstalls under Waterloo Bridge. One large paperback volume Shoulder to Shoulder cried out to me to be bought. It was by Midge Mackenzie and was a documentary account of the suffragettes. It was a battered copy and cost a tenner...and from devouring that book came my urge to write about the period and a desire to put those women into the foreground once more; their bravery and brilliance." [3]

Reception

Most of the critical reaction to the premiere was good, managing four stars in the Evening Standard, Guardian, Independent and Time Out and three in the Times, [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] though the critic from The Times criticised what he saw as the caricaturing of the male characters. [9] Some critics also felt the lesbian love affair was concentrated on at the expense of the historical background, [10] [11] [12] though some have argued against such as criticism. [13]

Original production - cast and creative team

Cast

* = Also credited as Ensemble

Creative team

Related Research Articles

<i>Ghosts</i> (play) 1882 play written by Henrik Ibsen

Ghosts is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was written in Danish and published in 1881, and first staged in 1882 in Chicago, Illinois, US, performed in Danish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Hancock</span> British actress (born 1933)

Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed in theatre - plays and musicals in London, and her Broadway debut in Entertaining Mr Sloane (1966) earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celia Imrie</span> British actress (born 1952)

Celia Diana Savile Imrie is a British actress and author. She is best known for her film roles, including the Bridget Jones film series, Calendar Girls (2003), Nanny McPhee (2005), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), the FX TV series Better Things (2016–2022) and the Netflix series The Diplomat (2023).

Samantha Jane Bond is an English actress. She played Miss Moneypenny in four James Bond films during the Pierce Brosnan era, and appeared in Downton Abbey as the wealthy widow Lady Rosamund Painswick, sister of Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham. On television, she played "Auntie Angela" in the sitcom Outnumbered and the villain Mrs Wormwood in the CBBC Doctor Who spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures. She also originated the role of "Miz Liz" Probert in the Rumpole of the Bailey series. She is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imelda Staunton</span> English actress and singer (born 1956)

Dame Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre productions in the United Kingdom. Over her career she has received several awards including a British Academy Film Award, and four Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nominations for an Academy Award, three British Academy Television Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Claire Skinner is an English actress, known in the United Kingdom for her television career, particularly playing Sue Brockman from the BBC television series Outnumbered. She is also known for her collaboration with director Mike Leigh on two of his films, Life is Sweet (1990) and Naked (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Okonedo</span> English actress (born 1968)

Sophie Okonedo is a British actress. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA TV Awards, an Emmy Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019, both for services to drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Cole</span> British actress (born 1982)

Christina Cole is an English actress known for portraying Cassie Hughes in the Sky One supernatural television series Hex.

Lesley Sharp is an English stage, film, and television actress whose roles on British television include Clocking Off (2000–2001), Bob & Rose (2001) and Afterlife (2005–2006). She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1997 film The Full Monty. Her other film appearances include Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1986), Naked (1993), Priest (1994), From Hell (2001), and Vera Drake (2004). Between 2011 and 2016, she starred as DC Janet Scott in the ITV drama Scott & Bailey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indira Varma</span> British actress and narrator

Indira Anne Varma is a British actress and narrator. Her film debut and first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love.

Rebecca Lenkiewicz is a British playwright, screenwriter and former actress. She is best known as the author of Her Naked Skin (2008), which was the first original play written by a living female playwright to be performed on the Olivier stage of the Royal National Theatre.

Jemima Rooper is an English actress. Having started as a child actress in television series, she has appeared in numerous film and theatre roles.

Gerard Monaco is a British actor who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesley Manville</span> British actress (born 1956)

Lesley Ann Manville is an English actress known for her frequent collaborations with Mike Leigh, appearing in the films Grown-Ups (1980), High Hopes (1988), Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004), Another Year (2010), and Mr. Turner (2014). She has been nominated for two British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in Another Year (2010) and Phantom Thread (2017), with her performance in the latter earning her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufus Norris</span> British theatre and film director (born 1965)

Rufus Norris is a British theatre and film director, who is currently the artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Skinner</span> British actor

Hugh William Skinner is a British actor. He is best known for starring in sitcoms W1A (2014–2017) and The Windsors (2016–present), and his appearances in musical films Les Misérables (2012) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).

The Painter is a 2011 play by the British writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz on the life and relationships of J. M. W. Turner. It premiered at the Arcola Theatre in London in January 2011 to mark its move to new premises. The premiere cast included Toby Jones as Turner, Denise Gough as Turner's model Jenny Cole, Amanda Boxer as Turner's mother and Niamh Cusack as his mistress Sarah Danby.

Lucy Bailey is a British theatre director, known for productions such as Baby Doll at Britain's National Theatre and a notorious Titus Andronicus, described by a critic as "all eye-catchingly visceral but there’s little depth". Bailey founded the Gogmagogs theatre-music group (1995–2006) and was Artistic Director and joint founder of the Print Room theatre in West London (2010-2012). She has worked extensively with Bunny Christie and other leading stage designers, including her husband William Dudley.

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards were announced on November 24, 2008. The longlist was revealed on November 4, 2008 and the shortlist on November 7, 2008.

References

  1. ↑ Kellaway, Kate (29 June 2008). "Turning the Tables". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Billington, Michael (17 January 2008). "'This will horrify my colleagues'". The Guardian . Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Rebecca Lenkiewicz, programme note for Her Naked Skin
  4. ↑ Billington, Michael (1 August 2008). "Review - Her Naked Skin". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Taylor, Paul (1 August 2008). "Her Naked Skin". The Independent . London.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ Hoggard, Liz (25 July 2008). "Her Naked Skin - review". Evening Standard . Archived from the original on 2 August 2008.
  7. ↑ Cavendish, Dominic (4 August 2008). "Her Naked Skin: rapture and pain among the Suffragettes". The Telegraph . London.[ dead link ]
  8. ↑ Wise, Louis (10 August 2008). "Her Naked Skin - review". Sunday Times . London. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  9. ↑ Nightingale, Benedict (4 August 2008). "Her Naked Skin - review". The Times . London.
  10. ↑ Groskop, Viv (26 August 2008). "Sex and the suffragette". The Guardian . London.
  11. ↑ "Letters - Naked truths and the suffragette movement". The Guardian. London. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  12. ↑ "Letters - Theatrical spectacle and the suffragettes' real achievements". The Guardian. London. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  13. ↑ "Letters - Theatre can still touch a nerve". The Guardian. London. 30 August 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2010..
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.