By Gina Yarbrough

San Diego, CA–Cygnet Theatre has announced the cast and creative team of its production “The Little Fellow (or – The Queen of Tarts Tells All)” by renowned playwright Kate Hamill. 

The world premiere is directed by Rob Lutfy and runs from October 25 to November 19 at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. 

“The Little Fellow” is a risqué comedic drama loosely based on the life and tell-all memoirs of the 19th century’s most famous courtesan – Harriette Wilson, also known as The Little Fellow. Since the age of 13, Wilson has navigated through the pitiless and glamorous world of the British regency’s demi-monde: eventually becoming the “top of the bottom” as the self-styled Queen of Tarts. Her defiance of social conventions and refusal to be a lady have attracted many patrons – including some of the country’s most distinguished and high-powered men. But Wilson wants to get out of the ‘business’… and she has a plan. A plan that may threaten her reputation, her business, and ultimately, her life – as she confronts the cost of winning in an unjust world.

“The Little Fellow (or – The Queen of Tarts Tells All)” received its first reading through The Bill and Judy Garrett Finish Line Commission in 2019.

“Like most playwrights, I have plays ‘on my shelf’ – earlier plays that haven’t yet seen the light of day,” said playwright Kate Hamill. “That was the great gift of The Bill and Judy Garrett Finish Line Commission – to help me rewrite The Little Fellow and bring it to life; without the commission, I doubt I would have re-attacked the piece! The Little Fellow was my second full-length play, originally written in 2014 – and when I came to work on it with my friend Robby Lutfy at Cygnet in 2019, I completely revamped and retooled the script.” 

Hamill says the play is based on the true story of the (in)famous-in-her-time Harriette Wilson, the greatest and most unusual courtesan of her day, who brought her wealthy and powerful clients to their knees. I’m excited and grateful to bring this often-forgotten woman’s journey to the stage, and re-examine the emotional cost of power dynamics, sex work, and the intersection of gender and class roles – both in “Harriette’s time and in our own.”

“I am excited to return to Cygnet to work on the world premiere of a play I have loved for a long time with an incredible team of artists,” said director Rob Lutfy. “Kate Hamill is not just an old friend of mine, but one of the most produced playwrights in the country year after year. The Little Fellow is set in the world of London in the 1830’s; a world of survival. In a time when vulnerability would get you killed, one had to consume or be consumed. So what happens when England’s most popular courtesan decides to exploit her clients by exposing them at their most vulnerable?”

The cast of The Little Fellow includes Keiko Green as Harriet Wilson, Sofia Jean Gomez as Julia Johnstone and others, Rachael VanWormer as Mary and others, and MJ Seiber as George Noel Hill, Lord of Berwick; Mr. Stockdale; Old Man the Marquis of Worcester; Arthur Wellesley, and other cast members.

In addition to direction by Rob Lutfy, the creative team for Cygnet’s production of The Little Fellow includes scenic design by Yi-Chien Lee, lighting design by Anne E. McMills, sound design by Steven Leffue, props design by Alyssa Kane, costume design by Shirley Pierson, wig and makeup design by Peter Herman, and stage management by Heather Brose.

Tickets for The Little Fellow are on sale and may be purchased in person at the box office located at 4040 Twiggs Street in San Diego Old Town Historic State Park, by calling (619) 337-1525, or by visiting cygnettheatre.com. Regular ticket prices start at $32.