IN 1964 the English painter Francis Bacon is at home when he catches a burglar in the act. Instead of running away or calling the cops, he offers the budding thief a fair exchange – paintings for sex.
Francis Bacon is determined to live life to its fullest, embracing extreme situations that fuel his art.
“Pope Head” is the exploration of this relationship between emotional chaos and art, knitting Bacon’s many frenetic relationships to his creations in a show that is half artistic biography and half sexual history.
The play is the closest we can come to an afternoon with Francis Bacon, with Garry Roost’s energetic and fearless performance incarnating the painter for us.
But after an hour Bacon wears out his welcome. He never changes or grows, he only continues relentlessly on: he has no more character arc than a hurricane. He seems most human only when he laments his tragic relationship with George, the young thief who became his lover, and their story is the highlight of the show.
As amazing as Roost’s performance is, his Bacon feels more like the artist’s public persona than a real person.
“Pope Head” was worth seeing to appreciate the artistry of its creators, but those who want to understand Francis Bacon will learn more by going directly to his paintings.
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