Sat 18 Apr
|Arena Theatre
Purcell, The Musical - Wolverhampton
Under pressure to finish a song, a series of surreal experiences transports composer Henry Purcell back in time. Plus his wife keeps bursting into his songs.
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 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 assorted instrumental and vocal compositions by Purcell: 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.
Each half will be approx 40-45mins with an interval.
Supported by a grant from Continuo Foundation and The Grimmitt Trust.