Dublin, 1742. A city emerging from a winter of famine and despair, looking towards the light.
The great composer Handel is the toast of the town, his masterpiece Messiah completed, the hall booked; but in his desperate attempt to put a company of singers together he must work with an untrained voice, the celebrated stage actress Susannah Cibber. Gradually, he is seduced by the quality of her performance and the truth of her expression.
Partly set in the original Smock Alley Theatre this joyous play tells the story of the world’s most popular choral work, from its fraught birth to its glorious outcome; a tale about the complicated, comedic business of putting on a show and the transformative power of music.
Written by poet Nick Drake, All the Angels was first staged in Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. The first performance of Handel’s Messiah at the Fishamble Street Musick Hall is a part of Dublin’s history. This delightful play, with music, re-tells the unique story in a gloriously festive Irish premiere production by Rough Magic. Directed by Lynne Parker the production stars Brian Doherty, Ross Gaynor and Rebecca O’Mara, with soprano Megan O’Neill, tenor Ross Scanlon and baritone Owen Gilhooly-Miles.
Dates and Times:
The Everyman: 2 – 4 November
8pm
€28 / €25 (conc)
Smock Alley: 20 Nov – 22 Dec
Preview 20 / 22 Nov
Opening 23 Nov
7.30pm / Saturday Matinee 2.30pm
€22 Previews, Mon – Weds & Matinee, €25 Thurs, Fri & Sat
Running Time: 2 hours 15mins including interval
Age Range: General Audiences / 12+
