Press release

Death in the Afternoom Promises a Pleasant Evening

When Brian Gordon Sinclair takes the stage July 18th at the Waterfront Playhouse for the premiere of his one-man show “Death in the Afternoon” the audience meets Ernest Hemingway. After a brief self-introduction they are whisked off to Spain to experience bullfighting with the man who, through his writing, brought the sport to America.

As images of Spain flash on background projection screens it’s easy to forget that the man on stage is not Ernest Hemingway and Spain is thousands of miles away. The sound of fireworks fill the theatre, music fades, the running of the bulls pounds through the streets of Pamplona while Key West fades to black and the bullfight begins.

Canadian playwright Brian Gordon Sinclair first burst upon Key West’s Hemingway Days with a convincing and evocative portrayal of Ernest Hemingway in the first of his series of plays entitled “Hemingway on Stage: The Road to Freedom.”

“Sunrise, The Early Years” premiered during Hemingway Days 2003 and introduced Ernest Hemingway as a young man growing up in Michigan, his subsequent experiences in WWI, and his return home after being wounded in the war.

Last year Sinclair again captivated audiences with part II of his series: “The Lost Generation” following Hemingway as he marries Hadley and moves to Paris. Hemingway, the young writer and new father emerges. While in Europe he meets literary notables such as Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, travels to Spain and begins his lifelong passion for bullfighting, gaining inspiration and material for his novel “The Sun Also Rises.”

“Death in the Afternoon,” finds Hemingway, now in his thirties, a famous writer, remarried and expectant father, preparing to leave Europe. A man whose passion for bullfighting remains strong and humor reminds those who are appalled by the sport, of the hypocrisy with which man deals with animals. In a treatise on death, Sinclair as Hemingway says, “You madam, may not like to see animals die but at least accept the spectacle for what it is. It is the precise enactment of a more civilized way to face death with dignity. If you still do not understand, I will meet you tomorrow, in Chicago, at the slaughterhouse, for lunch.”

Hemingway’s machismo turns playful as he verbally jousts through correspondence with fellow writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. As he speaks of wife Pauline and new son Patrick, a compassionate man emerges, witnessed by a surprising episode in Paris.

Upon returning to the States, Hemingway has this to say. “I enjoyed the feeling of being far away from everyone who knew me or cared what I did, where Pauline and I could live well on five dollars a day and I could fish more than I had ever fished in my life. Where else but Key West? Not today’s city of course, but Hemingway’s Key West of the 1930s.

In a poignant remembrance of his father, a gentle mature Hemingway appears. A man deeply moved by the suffering he witnessed after the devastating hurricane of 1935.

The many facets of Ernest Hemingway are skillfully and convincingly portrayed by Sinclair who is currently Artistic Director of Ontario’s “Children of Erin” Theatre Company. He has performed in Canada, Denmark, Holland, Poland, Moscow and of course, Key West.

Evening performances; Monday, July 18th and Tuesday, July 19th at 7:30 p.m. Matinees; Wednesday, July 20 and Thursday, July 21st at 2:00 p.m. All performances take place at the Waterfront Playhouse. $12 adult, $5 student. Proceeds benefit the Key West Art & Historical Society.