Purcell, The Musical: Henry Purcell's past, present & fantasy collide!

★★★★
"this is one show that deserves greater exposure…”
The Times

★★★★
“… the way the drama allowed a remarkable cross section of Purcell’s music to be performed was quite striking.”
Planet Hugill

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 transforms 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 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.

Doors open at 7pm. Each half will be approx 40-45mins with an interval.

Supported by a grant from Continuo Foundation and Angel Early Music.

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