Sat 18 Apr
|Arena Theatre
Purcell, The Musical - Wolverhampton
Composer Henry Purcell is suffering from feverish hallucinations where the past, present and fantasy collide, and his songs take on a life of their own.
Time & Location
18 Apr 2026, 19:30 – 21:20
Arena Theatre, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1SE, UK
About the event
★★★★
“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 suffering from feverish hallucinations. His bedroom transforms into a theatre and the past, present and fantasy collide. As Purcell revisits his childhood and early romance with his wife, his life-story becomes tangled up with his role as London’s leading theatre composer.
Interwoven into the drama are Purcell’s compositions which take on a life of their own: 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 five actors and actor-musicians.
Each half will be approx 40-45mins with an interval.
Supported by a grant from Continuo Foundation and The Grimmitt Trust.