Elgar and Alice was first performed at the Swan
Theatre, Worcester, on 5th June 2007, to mark the composer's 150th
anniversary.
The
script of the play is now in print. The book includes a personal
account by Gerald Harper of his creation of the role of Sir Edward
Elgar.
This page includes:
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Peter
Sutton's script explores the repercussions of the genius
of a great man who has uplifted the hearts of a nation. I was immensely
pleased to undertake a happy period of rehearsals, then stick on
that massive moustache and commence the tour. And I recognised
immediately that the play was very successful with all the audiences
fortunate enough to see the premiere production. It was a joy to
do, and meant a great deal to me.
Gerald Harper
How did a fanatical cyclist, amateur chemist, incorrigible joker
and son of a piano-tuner marry the daughter of a major-general, and
how did they cope with the tensions between his music and her ambitions
to be a writer? Those are the questions Sutton answers, along with
providing a solution to the true enigma behind the Enigma Variations.
Hereford Times
My wife and I were absolutely bowled over by your play about Elgar.
A really marvellous achievement.
Sir Charles Mackerras
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Click on the image below
for a PDF featuring four facsimile pages
from the script.
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Click on the image below
for a
printable flyer (PDF)
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When Alice Roberts, daughter of a major-general, married her piano
teacher, her family was horrified to be linked to a tradesman. That
was one reason for the underlying tension in the marriage of Sir
Edward and Lady Elgar. Others explored in this absorbing new play
include his refusal to set her poetry to music and, most notoriously,
his relationships with other women. Sutton does a skilful job of
weaving historic information, and Elgar's reflections on his
art, into a plausible picture of the Elgars at home.
Birmingham Post
Congratulations for Elgar and Alice!
Hilary Elgar |
Sir Edward Elgar is one moment playful, the next cantankerous.
He is as unapproachable as he is engaging. As the tensions between
Elgar and Lady Alice surface, so do the insights into their marriage.
He disregards Alice's poetry, treats her, at times, like a
child and it's upsetting to watch. He repeatedly tells her
she doesn't understand him, never has and never will, and
it's heartbreaking.
Worcester News
Very neat. It's neatly done, altogether. Sutton's
text, equally neat, builds in Elgar's searing awareness of his
humble origin and self-made stature... and her unthinking snobbery.
More fundamental is her pride in her poems, which she longs for
him to recognise. Alice's hurt at being a second-best amanuensis
flares into jealousy of his succession of friends-patrons-muses.
Oxford Times
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Click on the image
below
for the Severnpix Publishing website
where the book may be ordered on line
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Royalty Fees
Professional performance – by negotiation
Amateur performance – please enquire before booking a venue
or starting rehearsals, providing full information about the proposed
production: contact name and full address, name of company, name,
location and size of venue(s), proposed dates and number of performances.
If a venue is outside the British Isles, please state the country
and nearest major city.
From time to time it may be necessary to suspend permission for
amateur productions.
All enquiries to peter@elgarproductions.info
The Elgar productions
website features further information about the play
and its production in 2007, which coincided with the 150th anniversary
of Sir Edward Elgar's birth.
Click on the image on the left to visit the site, which includes:
- production photographs
- archive photographs of the Elgars
- cast biographies
- a click-to-play recording of a radio interview with the playwright,
Peter Sutton, and director Gene David Kirk
Click here for a page
of links to other websites
by Paddy Gormley, who built this site. |
