The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton

"The great problem with life is that you can get from one end of it to the other without ever feeling that another human being ever truly knew you”.

The Silence of Snow: The Life of Patrick Hamilton is a riveting, kinetic solo show which vividly portrays the life of one of the great English writers of the inter-war years. Patrick Hamilton (1904 – 1962) was a dazzling success whilst still in his twenties, producing the hit plays Rope and Gaslight, and classic novels like Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky, Hangover Square and The Slaves of Solitude. But he was also an alcoholic, whose wit became increasingly mordant as his inner and outer worlds collapsed. Set in an electro-therapy clinic in the 1950s, and covering the entire sweep of Hamilton’s turbulent life, The Silence of Snow has gripped audiences wherever it has been performed. An arresting blend of original writing and extracts from Hamilton’s finest works, the play is a powerful cautionary tale about the dangers of not confronting one’s own inner chaos. It is also a hugely witty and engaging tribute to a great English writer.

The play is directed by Linda Marlowe, an acting legend for her lengthy collaboration with Steven Berkoff. She is also a hugely-acclaimed solo actress (The World’s Wife, Berkoff’s Women), and a star of EastEnders.

"The Silence of Snow" WON Best Solo Show (written by the performer) at the London Pub Theatre Awards, October 2023.Reviews:★★★★* "The single best performance from an actor I’ve seen all year" London Pub Theatres
★★★★ “You won’t be able to take your eyes off this magnetic actor Mark Farrelly. He inhabits the character of Hamilton with a blazing fluidity” The Times★★★★ “Farrelly’s performance is electric” What’s On Stage★★★★ “Master of the monologue Mark Farrelly intriguingly deploys his many skills and all his talents” Broadway Baby★★★★ “Clear and sharp-eyed characterisation and performance of a very high order” Edinburgh Guide★★★★ “Farrelly’s achievement is to portray a life so lacking in personal happiness so entertainingly” British Theatre Guide★★★★ “Farrelly’s sharp, insightful and witty writing and his magnificent acting linger long in the mind” Fairy Powered Productions★★★★ “The masterful Farrelly doesn’t so much play as inhabit the role of Hamilton…he holds us spellbound” Theatre Things★★★★ “A barnstorming performance that leaves you breathless” Camden Review★★★★ “Wonderful passion and charisma…a complete embodiment of a complex character” Exeunt★★★★ “Horrifyingly funny snapshot of the wit, novelist and playwright…brilliant” The Spectator

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