Kara Wilson brings life to the artist Beryl Cook a reclusive artist whose keen eye for observation show in the faces of people enjoying their lives in her paintings. Cooks iconic “larger” ladies with red lipstick and blue eye shadow are always living their best lives in their best clothes.

The play begins with Cook setting herself up in front of a camera. The BBC have asked Cook for an interview. She only agrees to film one for them while she paints as she doesn’t like meeting people face to face. Cook begins to tell the camera all about her life from inside her studio in Plymouth in 2005.

It soon becomes clear that for someone who claims to be a recluse she has lived an interesting life and among her roles she managed a bed and breakfast and spent a while living abroad.

Juliette Demoulin set Designer, encompasses the quirky tastes and collection of objects that Wilson describes in her performance as Cook. The artist had a passion for curiosities and liked to give objects rejected by others a home. The leg dressed in leopard print on the chair stood out for me. The audience is invited to have a look around the set after the play has finished. It has a range of letters, pictures and other objects it is worth staying to take a look.

Beryl Cook:A Private View has been written with permission and material gathered from Beryl’s son John Cook who’s followed in his Mother’s footsteps and prefers to live a reclusive lifestyle and is likely to only see the stage show from a filmed version.

There are a few revelations throughout the performance and although I knew very little about Cook’s life I remember her paintings and cards during the 1980s. Wilson has written a fitting tribute play to an artist who may of shyed away from the public stare but whose art work has been viewed worldwide and continues to do so.

For more information about Beryl Cook:A Private View please check out the link below.

Four Stars.

Beryl Cook: A Private View

BERYL COOK: A PRIVATE VIEW
Written, performed and painted by Kara Wilson
Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED
Tuesday 1 October to Saturday 26 October 2024