''Kurt and Sid'' is a play by
Roy Smiles
Roy Smiles (born 1966) is a singer-songwriter & playwright from Ealing, West London. He is also an occasional actor.
Smiles has written twenty seven theatre plays, the best known of which is Kurt and Sid, a 2009 London West End production abo ...
which had its world premiere at the
Trafalgar Studios in London's West End. The play opened on 9 September 2009 and starred
Danny Dyer (as
Sid Vicious) and
Shaun Evans (as
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
). Kurt and Sid was directed by Tim Stark, developed by B29 Productions and produced by Thomas Hopkins and Andrew Jenkins.
The play ran until 3 October 2009.
[Kurt and Sid: trials of artistry without the art , London Evening Standard]
/ref>
Development
Sid Vicious was only portrayed in the 1986 film '' Sid and Nancy'' previously. Although Kurt Cobain had never previously been portrayed in film or stage, a character based on Cobain, named Blake, appeared in the 2005 film '' Last Days''. Danny Dyer first became interested in having a role when Tim Stark the director told him about it 6 years before the play opened. Shaun Evans grew out his hair for the role of Kurt Cobain and dyed his hair blond. Dyer thought that it would be interesting to see how the audience reacts because of the play being both dark and light.
Plot
Kurt decides to commit suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
, but Sid stops him. Sid may have come back from the dead to save someone after killing Nancy Spungen. Sid and Kurt discuss what it is like to be famous and their problems. Sid tries to convince Kurt that he should not take his life. The play takes place in Kurt's greenhouse.
Reception
Charles Spencer in '' The Daily Telegraph'' gave the play four stars: "Roy Smiles has created a cracking play about Kurt Cobain and Sid Vicious in ''Kurt and Sid''". He added, "There are two startling achievements in ''Kurt & Sid''. Smiles turns the sad and wasteful story of Cobain, a heroin addict who blew his brains out with a shotgun in 1994, into a work that is at once laugh-out-loud funny, touching and thought-provoking. Perhaps even more remarkably, he turns Sid Vicious, late of the Sex Pistols and perhaps the most worthless individual ever to emerge even from the murky world of rock music, into a highly engaging hero." '' The Guardian'' were more critical, with Lyn Gardner awarding it just 2 stars.Kurt and Sid , Theatre review , Stage , The Guardian
/ref>
References
External links
Official Show Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurt And Sid
2009 plays
English plays
Biographical plays about musicians
Cultural depictions of the Sex Pistols
Cultural depictions of Kurt Cobain
Cultural depictions of Sid Vicious