Purcell, The Musical
Schedule
Sat Apr 18 2026 at 07:30 pm to 09:20 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Arena Theatre | Wolverhampton, EN
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★★★★ “this is one show that deserves greater exposure…”The Times
A play with music by award-winning writer Clare Norburn and BAFTA-nominated BBC director, Nicholas Renton (Mrs Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters, Musketeers, Lewis).
1695: in his final illness, composer Henry Purcell (Niall Ashdown) is experiencing feverish dream-like hallucinations in which the past, present and fantasy collide, and his songs take on a life of their own. His bedroom is transformed into a theatre and Purcell revisits his past including his childhood memories of the Great Fire of London and his early romance with his wife.
Interwoven into the drama are Purcell's compositions: from bawdy theatre ballads and joyful celebrations of love, to slow airs, a ‘mad song’, and numbers from his semi-operas.
Niall Ashdown (Creating Carmen, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, The Comedy Store Players) stars as Purcell alongside actor-singers Sarah Lambie and Héloïse Bernard, Jo Lawrence on violin, Miriam Nohl on cello and Oliver John Ruthven on harpsichord.
Supported by a grant from Continuo Foundation, The Grimmitt Trust, and The WED Charitable Trust.
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Where is it happening?
Arena Theatre, Arena Theatre, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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