Synopsis
Lizzie Siddal
$14.99
Published by Nick Hern Books
4 Male 2 Female
London, 1849
Lizzie Siddal is plucked from the obscurity of a bonnet shop to model for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - an intoxicating group of young painters bent on revolutionising the Victorian art world
Inspired by their passion and ambition, she throws herself headlong into their lives and their art - nearly dying in the creation of Millais' Ophelia
The painting is a triumph
But Lizzie wants more and dares to dream of being an artist herself ...
Falling for their charismatic leader Dante Gabriel Rossetti, she becomes his muse and his lover and - against the odds - does succeed in winning independence as a female artist
She even secures a sponsor - the great critic, John Ruskin
But independence isn't always what it seems and love can be fickle
Lizzie is betrayed and her response sparks a tragic denouement that still stirs debate to this day
REVIEWS
"This is drama of the highest order, by turns funny, clever, provocative, infuriating, sad and enlightening" ~ BroadwayWorld.com
"Jeremy Green's vigorous, entertaining and ultimately haunting play" ~ Libby Purves, Theatre Cat
" ... does a great service in putting [this] little known story on stage" ~ Time Out
" .... peppered with laughs ... a tale of art, idealism and romantic disillusion and disappointment ~ The Arts Desk
" ... remarkable ... makes important arguments about the subservience of women in art" ~ Londonist
" ... fascinating ... tackles the still-relevant issue of how women's artistic achievements are often overshadowed by men's" ~ Evening Standard