April 11 2012.


The life of the fashion model, photographer and Surrealist muse Lee Miller presented as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival. Written and edited by her son, Antony Penrose.


"I was terribly, terribly pretty. I looked like an angel, but I was a fiend inside". This is how Lee Miller described herself in an interview she gave towards the end of her life. Her career began as a New York fashion model, but she soon became a Surrealist muse and photographer in her own right in 1920s' Paris. During the war she worked as a combat photographer with the US forces in Europe. Miller ended her days as a renowned gourmet cook living at Farley Farm in Chiddingly, visited amongst many others by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Max Ernst.

Newhaven Fort, as a part of The Brighton Fringe Festival, will present 'The Angel and the Fiend' on Saturday 19th May, a dramatic reading of five voices accompanied by a projection of more than 360 of Miller's photographs from throughout her career. Her life and work are presented through her own words and those of some who were closest to her: Man Ray, the Surrealist photographer; David E. Scherman, the LIFE magazine photographer; Roland Penrose, her husband and Antony Penrose, her son.

First performed in April 2003 at the J Paul Getty Centre (Los Angeles), this production has enjoyed continued success and was recently performed during Brighton Fringe Festival receiving a 5-star review:

"...a tight, emotional and powerful piece, a beautiful collage of photos and memories... this was stunningly powerful theatre" Fringe Review 2009

''Putting this play together was like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. When assembling the Lee Miller Archives I found the characters had kept each other's letters and knowing them all personally helped me link the material together. I strived to represent them all in their truest form by using their own words, photographs and my memories of their personalities.'' Antony Penrose 2010

David Burrough directs this production presented by a strong cast featuring Ami Bouhassane as Lee Miller, (her grandmother), David Burrough as Roland Penrose, James Leighton as Man Ray, Jonathan Bailey as David E. Scherman and Antony Penrose as himself.

"I often find the way people respond to my parent's lives and work is deeply touching. It seems that those of us who have worked with their material come to view the world in a different way and in some way grow and develop in our own lives and work in a way that makes us more than we were before. Perhaps this is why the material remains relevant so long after the moment of its making." Antony Penrose 2010

Tickets are priced at £9.00 and can be purchased from Newhaven Fort by calling 01273 517622. Alternatively tickets can be purchased online from the Brighton Fringe Festival Box Office www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk  

The performance starts at 19.30 - 21.00. (Doors open at 19.00) and includes an interval. Please be advised that some images in this production may be disturbing and it is not suitable for people under 15.


For more information visit www.newhavenfort.org.uk