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April 27, 2023

‘A Shining Intimacy’ explores theatre, queer friendship and grief. Camden Peoples Theatre May 18 – 20.

A Shining Intimacy examines the fundamental guts of two of Britain’s best-loved stage animals, Maggie Smith and the late 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’.

In this intimate piece, Tom Marshman not only explores the bond between Kenneth Williams and his close friend Maggie Smith but also revisits the closeness he shared with his own dear friend, the late artist Clare Thornton.

Having first met in 1957 when they appeared in the same stage review, Maggie Smith and Kenneth Williams were drawn to each other, swiftly building a bond of trust. They collaborated professionally and shared confidences.

Williams was famously prickly, yet he found a soulmate in Smith as she instinctively understood, supported and appreciated her reclusive and closeted friend. The friendship lasted decades as they mastered their crafts, becoming household names.

Using visual inspiration from the 1960s and 70s via an atmospheric projection, Tom examines Maggie’s and Kenneth’s characters as dreamlike apparitions within the theatre.

A Shining Intimacy

Maggie and Kenneth’s shining intimacy is a sensitive portrayal of their successes and personal adversities. It also belongs to a moment in history that allows the narrator Tom to reflect on a close friendship of his own that is now lost.

Tom Marshman and Clare Thornton were both friends and confidantes, housemates and collaborators working in performance, theatre and live art. Together, they developed a playful approach to how we remember performance acts through their occasional collective, The Performance Re-enactment Society. This friendship is again reignited via this personal and moving work in A Shining Intimacy.

“The artist’s affection for the stories he’s telling is palpable.” – The stage

As well as exploring queer friendships, A Shining Intimacy examines the actor’s craft and plays with the juxtaposition of the ‘performer’ both in public and private. The narrative includes Kenneth’s and Maggie’s success and a sensitive portrayal of depression and the loneliness of Kenneth’s one-bedroom flat.

A Shining Intimacy

The performance utilises Television and radio interviews, along with diaries, newspaper articles, bespoke props and memoirs.

“One of the most exciting things about Marshman’s work is his ability to pick a seemingly small subject and peel back the layers to expose something unexpectedly profound” – big issue