In August, 1937, Elizabeth Smart stepped into a London bookstore, opened a book of poems, and fell in love with the author, George Barker. Three years later, they finally met and embarked on the affair that would inspire one of the most brilliant poetic novels of the 20th century, By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept. VideoCabaret Theatre invites you to meet Elizabeth Smart.
In this tour-de-force solo show, Dora award winning actress Nicky Guadagni (Hooked), explores the extraordinary story of a woman who left behind her privileged Ottawa upbringing to find her way as a gifted writer, and to pursue her lifelong, tumultuous relationship with Barker.
Fiercely independent and deeply passionate, Smart raised four of Barker's children while working as a copy editor in London to support her family. In 1945, By Grand Central Station was published to little fanfare; it would take decades before the novel was rediscovered and recognized as a masterpiece.
Drawn from Elizabeth Smarts's own writing as well as Rosemary Sullivan's celebrated biography By Heart and Ardent Carolyn Smart's poetic portrait of Smart, Guadagni's performance captures the joy, struggles and unyielding spirit of a woman who dared to live by her own rules.
Book now. Limited seating.
