Burying the Dead
“…this is one show that deserves greater exposure…”
★★★★ Richard Morrison, The Times
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“…the whole achieved a directness worthy of Purcell himself“
Claire Seymour, Opera Today
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“… the way the drama allowed a remarkable cross section of Purcell’s music to be performed was quite striking.”
★★★★ Robert Hugill, Planet Hugill
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Burying the Dead is a new Purcell theatre show for the 21st century which takes the audience on a fictional journey inside the head of composer Henry Purcell.
Purcell is in his final illness, suffering from feverish dream-like hallucinations in which the past, present and fantasy collide and his songs take on a life of their own, moving from the ‘theatre of his mind’ to the actual theatre and beyond! The show deals with various issues from his life, including his experience with the Great Fire of London and the Plague, as well as his relationships with his wife and actresses in the theatre.
Running from 2018, the tour has included Stroud Green Festival, Buxton International Festival, Lake District Summer Music, Saxon Shore Early Music, Baroque at the Edge at LSO St Luke’s, Ryedale Festival, Brighton Early Music Festival and York Early Music Christmas Festival.
Cast and Creative Team
Ceruleo
Niall Ashdown - Henry Purcell
Thomas Guthrie - Director
Clare Norburn - Playwright
Hannah Pearson - Costume Design
Natalie Rowland - Lighting Design
Generously supported by:
Simon Adams
Ralph Allwood
Emily Baines
Boronow Danson Family
Julian Bowden
Timothy Brennan QC
Helen Charlston
Katy Cooper
Clare de Bono
Tim Doyle
Katharine Fischel
Linda and Anton Fishman
Jenny Frost
Heather Gibbard
Roxana Gundry
David Hudson
Agneta Lansing
Peter and Gilly Lea-Cox
Bibi Lees
Barbara Mair
Mike Mair
Julia Owen
Robert and Sara Owen
Charles Perrett
Wayne Plummer
Mary Jean Pritchard
Gabriele Renz
Andrew Round
Timothy Round
Melissa Scott
Rosie Stokoe
Neil Thornton
Nicola Wallis
Chris Webb
Sally Webster
And other anonymous donors
The Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust
The Fidelio Trust
The Gemma Trust