The Blue Hour of Natalie Barney (original) (raw)

‘They say it takes two to tango, but in my case it’s sometimes three. Or more.’

Here at The Pottery Press we’re proud to announce the publication of our latest book: The Blue Hour of Natalie Barney, Frances Bingham’s revealing new play which opens at the Arcola Theatre in London on 7th November. Amanda Boxer (Mosquitoes, National Theatre; Medea, Almeida Theatre) plays Natalie Barney in this world premiere, directed by Kenneth Hoyt.

In the blue hour of Paris twilight, one trailblazing artist paints a remarkable picture of her life, her liaisons and her passionate self-belief.

My cover painting for the book is a watercolour called Twilight in the Rue Jacob and was inspired by a still from Tristram Powell’s 1962 film Natalie Barney, showing Natalie opening the doors of her book-filled room to the leafy shadows of her twilit garden, an image that seemed to me central to the story.

Natalie Barney was an unstoppable force in modernism and the early gay rights movement. Her lovers were the most beautiful women of the era; her friends were the most celebrated artists of twentieth century culture.

The play welcomes us in to share a private hour with Natalie and to witness her wild and visionary creed up close; the book allows us to savour again this intimate exchange. There’s an interview with the actor Amanda Boxer, director Kenneth Hoyt and writer Frances Bingham on Youtube and Facebook, as well as a Facebook event, and Frances has contributed a guest blog post to the Arcola Theatre’s blog, which you can read here.

The Blue Hour of Natalie Barney is Pottery Press Pamphlet number 2, and is available to buy by post from The Pottery Press, or in person from the Arcola Box Office or [the Owl Bookshop, Kentish Town](http://the owl bookshop kentish town), for £4. Or you can order it from any good bookshop with ISBN 978-0-9930171-2-4

This entry was posted on November 3, 2017 at 6:25 pm and is filed under Work in focus.

Tags: Amanda Boxer, Frances Bingham, Kenneth Hoyt, Natalie Barney, poetry, The Pottery Press