The Telling
Purcell, The Musical
Supported by a grant from Continuo Foundation
★★★★ “… 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-musician Héloïse Bernard, Jo Lawrence on violin, Jan Waterfield on harpsichord and others.
Sun, 26 April 2026
Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh
7:30pm
£20 (conc. available)- ➕1 other performance
Full Event Details
★★★★ “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-musician Héloïse Bernard, Jo Lawrence on violin, Jan Waterfield on harpsichord and others.
Venue Details & Map
Location
Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh
2 Roxburgh Pl, Edinburgh EH8 9SU
Other performances
In addition to the performance listed above, this concert will also be performed as follows:
English Music Festival