Buggers: Alistair Hall steps inside Francis Bacon's life, legacy, and paintings

Buggers is a haunting new play exploring the volatile relationship between artist Francis Bacon and his lover and muse George Dyer. Written by and starring Alistair Hall as Bacon, the production charts the couple’s relationship from lustful beginnings to devastating collapse, examining passion, power, addiction and the emotional cost of artistic ambition. Created with rare support from the Francis Bacon Estate, the play draws on personal documents, letters and artefacts to explore one of modern art’s most mythologised relationships. We spoke with Alistair to find out more about the show.

For audiences coming to the show fresh, what can they expect from Buggers?

An interrogative look at a relationship between two men, from its beginning to its end, and the legacy it left behind.

This is the world premiere of the piece, why did the Edinburgh Fringe feel like the right place to showcase it?

I want to find out who the audience for Buggers could be, and the Fringe is so good for that. You have so many diverse crowds coming through, especially at a venue like Pleasance, so I’m deeply curious to see who connects with the show. 

Francis Bacon remains one of the most recognisable artists of the twentieth century. What interested you in looking beyond the paintings and into his private life? Or do you think the two cannot be separated?

Many of Bacon’s portraits are of his friends and lovers, so his private life is very much ingrained in the worldbuilding we see in his paintings. Even though he worked against narrative in painting, people who shaped his life are there on the canvas and it’s in getting to know these people - George Dyer included - that I’ve discovered many truths about Bacon.  

Did researching Bacon make you admire him more, or less?

Only more. I might not agree with some of the ways he lived his life or some of the things he said, but he lived his life unapologetically, and so much of his adult life was set against the backdrop of homosexuality being illegal but he didn’t let that stop him. There’s also a lot that people don’t know about Bacon’s struggles, he experienced so much pain and loss; he was a deeply fragile soul. 

You are both the writer and star of the production. Did playing Bacon influence the way you wrote him, or did the writing shape the performance?

I’ve written characters for myself to perform before but for Buggers I needed to write him without thinking about the acting. The play is my interpretation of him, it’s not a biopic, so I wanted to really form him as a character before I could think about how I might play him. 

George Dyer is often known through his connection to Bacon. What did you want audiences to understand about him as a person in his own right?

Dyer was a real human being with struggles and life experiences of his own. He had a family who really loved him and he had hopes and dreams. He wasn’t this lost cause he’s often referred to as. Peter Clements is playing Dyer in the show, and he has a wonderful approach to bringing Dyer to life in a nuanced and compelling way.

How much research went into the play, and was there anything you discovered that really surprised you?

All of my research was supported by the Estate of Francis Bacon who very kindly offered me unlimited access to archive material: photos, diary entries and more. I watched countless documentaries too and read many of the books on Bacon. It was a chapter in a book called Inside Francis Bacon written by Sophie Pretorious - an academic and archivist working at the Estate - that compelled me the most. It cracks open Bacon’s medical records and uses them as a timeline to reflect on what was happening in his life and in the culture at the time - it’s amazing work that really shaped my writing.

What’s your favourite scene to perform in the piece?

We actually haven’t started rehearsals yet as I write this… so let’s find out. 

At the end of the Fringe, what would make this run feel meaningful or successful for you?

For people to come and see it. 

Buggers will be performed at 1:20pm at Pleasance Courtyard from 5^th – 30^th August.

Booking link: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/buggers