“Tim Fountain’s wonderful one-man play”

Time Out

‘Resident Alien is a masterclass in the monologue. And no one except Bette Bourne could give it as well in this role. A classic’

The Stage

Based on the life and writings of Quentin Crisp, starring the legendary Bette Bourne the show opened at the Bush Theatre in November 1999 in a production directed by Mike Bradwell.  It transferred to New York Theatre Workshop in 2001 where it played a three month sell-out season and won two OBIE awards.  The show won a Herald Angel at the Edinburgh Festival and has enjoyed sold out runs across America, Australia and the UK.   In 2005 it enjoyed a hugely successful North American tour.  It has also been broadcast on BBC Radio 3.  It returned to London for a ten week season at The New End Theatre in 2009.

“Wise, witty and really rather

wonderful… a marvellously diverting

and coherent show… Bette Bourne’s

performance was character-acting at

its finest, showing us how a seemingly

outrageous way of living can tell us more

about ourselves than we might realise.

There lay the serious undercurrent of a

splendidly crafted and acted play. The

rest was sheer entertainment.

Daily Mail (London)

Click on an image to watch a video clip

“Resident Alien elevates a minor cultural

icon to the pantheon of immortals”

The Boston Globe

“Bette Bourne is one of the most compelling

figures I have ever seen on a stage.”

Financial Times

“Bourne is superb: funny, touching,

unsentimental, sometimes even profound.”

The Times

“Thanks to Fountain’s heartfelt production and

Bette Bourne’s remarkable acting the text does

not simply induce rueful laughter in performance.

It achieves a stinging pathos, too…

The tremendous Bette Bourne plays Crisp to

the manner reborn. Bourne is almost uncannily

Quentin… Fountain’s script and Bourne’s

performance remind us Crisp was that rare thing

– an authentic gay hero.

London Evening Standard

“Resident Alien is a compilation of wit,

wisdom and reminiscence… a superb study

of a style that represses sentiment.”

The New York Times

“Bourne’s interpretation extends beyond

mimicry and resurrects Crisp with compassion,

vitality and truth.”

Sydney Morning Herald

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To Listen to Tim addressing the Quentin Crisp Memorial in New York click below