Speed, danger, intrigue and excitement at Rotherham Theatres
Published Thursday 29th April 10
Join acclaimed actress Sandra Hunt for a racy look at the life of one of history’s most infamous socialites, as she takes to the stage of the Rotherham Arts Centre in Fast Women.
Performed on Thursday May 6 at 7.30pm, Fast Women focuses on the life of Helle Nice, a true pioneer of hedonism during the heady backdrop of 1920s Europe.
Daredevil Helle Nice was a fast woman in every sense - roaring through the early part of the last century, she danced her way to notoriety at the Casino de Paris, posed nude for Parisian photographers and risked her life many times in adventures as diverse as skiing, high wire acts, mountaineering and speed record attempts.
She lived life to the full with lovers galore. Then, one fateful race in Brazil, she crashed into the crowd killing many and seriously injuring herself.
After World War II she tried to make a comeback as a rally driver, entering the 1949 Monte Carlo rally but the night before the start, at the Gala dinner in Monaco, she was publicly denounced as a Nazi collaborator.
No evidence was ever found but she never recovered and died in the back streets of Nice in poverty and obscurity.
Her skill and courage brought her success and her brazen, media-savvy attitude brought her enemies and, ultimately, her downfall.
Sandra Hunt, like Helle Nice, began her career as a dancer, performing in cabaret and nightclubs as well as theatres.
Her television work includes roles in Cold Feet, The Street, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Heartbeat, Where The Heart Is and Doctors.
The highlights of her long theatrical career include a remarkable performance in Fanny Cradock - the Life and Loves of a Kitchen Devil, as Mary Granard in Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, and The Ladies of Cranford stage play.
Written by Stewart Howson and directed by "Fine Time" Fontayne, Fast Woman is a fascinating, funny, tragic and exciting look at a forgotten pioneer and a true original.
Fast Women will be zooming to Rotherham Arts Centre on Thursday, May 6 at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £9 (concessions £7) and are from the Box Office on 01709 823621, located in the Central Library and Arts Centre on Walker Place to pick up your tickets in person.
To book your tickets online go to www.rotherham.gov.uk/theatres and click on Contact us - Theatre Tickets.
More articles in the news archive.
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council news feed | About RSS.