Ruth Wilson has given many a fine performance, but none quite like the one that’s coming up from 4pm today (May 19), which happens to end at 4pm tomorrow.
Many of us struggle to concentrate on our work for an hour, but Ruth Wilson is going to emphatically show us how it’s done (and then some) with a 24-hour play at the Young Vic.
‘The Second Woman’ commences this afternoon, and takes viewers on a journey for 100 scenes. Ruth Wilson will perform the same scene – which is an adaptation from Opening Night, the 1977 John Cervantez film – each time, with a different man performing alongside for every scene.
Running from 4pm, tickets for the show came in different installments. Those wishing to spend the entire day side-by-side Ruth Wilson on her endurance test were offered the chance to purchase 24-hour tickets from 4pm.
Alternatively, timed tickets were offered out from 9:30pm, 12am, 2am, 4am, 6am, 8am, or 10am. There will also be tickets available on the door throughout the 24-hours, which are offered on the assumption that not everyone will be staying for the entire duration. On-the-door tickets are only advertised from midnight, but queues at the Young Vic for ‘The Second Women’ are expected to be sizable throughout the day.
Breaks are permitted, but only for short time periods, so while you will be allowed to use the bathroom, there won’t be time to pop out for meals or head out to another pub for a pint between one or 10 of the 100 scenes.
Ruth Wilson is taking on the role of Virginia for each scene, and will only take brief breaks between each scene. None of the men, non-binary and queer people that will star alongside Ruth Wilson have rehearsed the scene or even met Ruth Wilson beforehand, and many are not actors by trade. The scene depicts a man and a woman in a fading relationship
Following the performance a documentary on ‘The Second Woman’ will be released, and both the production crew for this and the stage show is made up entirely of female and non-binary crew members.
‘The Second Woman begins this afternoon at 4pm, and runs for 24 hours at the Young Vic theatre (66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ).