The Primrose Hill Ladies Club

The Primrose Hill Ladies Club is no place for ladies! It’s a boarding house and school for men who are compelled, for different reasons, to escape routine, their wives and family to live as women for a day or two, every now and again. Photograph: David Cook

What’s in a name? Good question, Juliet. Isn’t it safe to say that the phrase ‘Primrose Hill Ladies Club’ and the image of a cucumber sandwich resting on a china teacup go hand in hand? Well, that’s not the case in Bern Bowers’ new play of this name. Based on the establishment of a real-life Madame- Frau Mili Herschel- the Primrose Hill Ladies Club is a boarding house designed for men with a penchant for cross-dressing. Set in 1958, this play follows three characters as they spend time at the boarding house, and explores the psychological motivation for their desire to escape and express.

Counting politicians, lords, judges, police officers and even clergymen amongst its clientele, the Club’s diverse range of customer adds to the play’s themes of the duplicity of identity. The playwright, Bern Bowers, explained how he came to write about this club and why identity is still such a captivating issue: “When I started writing, I knew that my main focus was on the characters’ motivation. I think the psychology behind the choices we make is fascinating. I’m not saying this play is a great polemic on the psychology of cross-dressing, but I’ve explored how we all ‘put on faces’ in everyday life. How we are always adapting ourselves to accommodate our surroundings. That’s universal.”

With six main characters on stage, Bowers outlines the complexities of his play and how they relate to the present day: “When you consider that every person is in fact two people, you can begin to understand how much is going on in the narrative. We’re working beyond the theatrical convention of two protagonists whose stories must be resolved. What makes the story so interesting and relevant is its focus on tolerance and understanding. I’m not sticking two fingers up to society. I’m trying to understand it.

“Who can say they’re completely happy with who they are, where they are, how they are? It’s part of the human condition to feel at odds with the people around us, or feel mismatched to our environment.”

The Primrose Hill Ladies Club
3 May – 4 June 2011 (Tuesday – Sunday at 7.30pm)

The Courtyard Theatre
Bowling Green Lane
40 Pitfield Street, N1 6EU

£15 (concessions £12), limited number of reserved seats £19
Box Office 0844 477 1000