OVERVIEW

• Playwright

  John Banville 

• Notes

  A play for 9-14 year olds.

• Synopsis

  Centred on the last week of rehearsals of Handel's Messiah, this fantastical drama is narrated by Laetitia Pilkington. As Georg Handel attempts to pull together his masterpiece, Jonathan Swift decides to rescind his decision to allow the choir of St Patrick's to appear in the piece. The sopranos are at each other's throats and rehearsals are constantly interrupted. All the while the harsh realities of Irish life are teeming in the second city of the British Empire.

• Play Type

  Theatre for Young Audiences
  

  Number Of Acts

  Full-Length

Cast size

• Male

  10

• Female

  5

• Total

  15

• Cast Notes

  Cast doubling is possible. See original production for details.

Original Production

• Date of First Production

  05 June 2002

• Producer

  Produced by The Ark

• Original Venue

  The Ark
  

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from the original production programme and promotional flyer.