Savour the tale of Betsy and her Wisdom of a Brighton Whore

The piece plays Brighton Fishing Museum, 201 Kings Rd Arches, Brighton, BN1 1NB from November 18-20. It comes from award-winning writer and director Jonathan Brown and combines, Jonathan says, “passionate acting from Brighton-based award-winning actor Isabella McCarthy Sommerville and a deeply atmospheric venue, creating an incredibly intense drama, set in Victorian Brighton.

“This sordid tale centres around Kemptown, where Betsy has just been expelled from St Mary’s Home for Penitent Women. By a stroke of luck, she becomes installed, by her protectors into the former home of local developer Thomas Kemp, who has absconded owing a lot of cash. Thanks to the needs of her protectors, she finds she can still make a very good living from her body. Betsy soon becomes confidant, and more, to local dignitary George Bintshaft, who's eyeing up nearby land, top of Elm Grove, as a perfect site for his new workhouse. Betsy, having listened too much to the corrupt George’s indiscreet late night ramblings, finds herself and her new born child in grave danger.”

Jonathan said: “Something Underground who this year won The International Fringe Encore Series Award for Betsy: Wisdom of a Brighton Whore at The Brighton Fringe, have created another visceral, shocking and tender play blending the brutality of street life with the deep instinctual tenderness of a woman and a mother on the edge. The Fringe Encore Series Award means that they are invited to take Betsy to New York City's Soho Playhouse in Manhattan for a run of shows in December this year. No great theatrical revelation to say, they accepted the invitation!” Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/somethingundergroundtheatre

Jonathan writes all of SUTC’s plays. The work tends to be visceral and uncompromising text, character and plot driven works. Plays have been about fatherhood, identity, transgender issues, wounds, alcohol and childbirth.