Stevie Smith / Zoë Wanamaker

Stevie, a play by Hugh Whitemore celebrating 

the life of the great poet Stevie Smith, with 

Zoë Wanamaker in the title role, opened last 
night at the Hampstead Theatre. 

Here are two portraits of Smith 
by Jane Bown.

Of Zoë Wanamaker's performance 
Lyn Gardner wrote: She is so perfectly 
cast in Hugh Whitemore's play about the 
life and work of the poet Stevie Smith 
that you don't feel so much that 
she's acting as simply channelling 
the mid-20th century poet and novelist. 
She transforms an evening that could 
be reticent, maybe even a little coy, 
into something more ferocious and 
dangerous. Sadder too. Like the man 
in Smith's most famous poem, Not Waving 
but Drowning, who swims too far out 
to sea so those on the shore misinterpret 
his wave for help as gaiety, Wanamaker's 
Stevie is constantly signalling her distress 
behind a larky demeanour.