I Am Not Myself These Days is an autobiography by Josh Kilmer-Purcell about an alcoholic drag queen desperately trying to make a relationship work with Jack, a high-class rent boy addicted to crack. At Edinburgh Fringe this year, this memoir was adapted by Tom Stuart and became the talking point of the Festival. A one-man show, I Am Not Myself These Days is fast-paced, brutal, funny and heartbreaking as it tells the story of love and self-discovery in the hedonistic excesses of 1990’s New York. Stuart felt compelled to adapt the novel for the stage to bring the personal journey of a marginalised member of society into a wider context, seeking to help break down the barriers of prejudice. He says “It’s such an incredibly honesty, open and engaging book. I wanted to see if I could extend that honesty to the stage and make an audience feel how I felt reading the book alone in my bed. I like to think of it as a love story, albeit an unconventional one. Although set in a specific time and place, I think most people will be able to relate to and recognise something of themselves in it, whatever their background or circumstances.’
The show is coming to Brighton Dome as part of its UK tour. Tom Stuart has worked extensively around the UK and appears frequently at Shakespeare’s Globe. His TV work includes Kathy Burke’s Walking and Talking, Psychobitches, Little Crackers and Law and Order. Not only that, but he has also starred in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Look of Love and Queen & Country. Three Weeks has called I Am Not Myself These Days ‘profoundly affecting, by turns warm, bitter, optimistic, cynical and deeply, profoundly human‘. See it at the Brighton Dome on February 13th and you can buy tickets here.
Holly Martin
