A Soldier and a Maker is a piece of musical theatre written by Iain Burnside on the life story of the World War I poet and composer Ivor Gurney. [1] [2] It premiered in April 2012 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, with Richard Goulding as Gurney. [3] The production was designed by Giuseppe and Emma Belli. [3] It was later adapted into a radio play broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 29 June 2014 as part of the "Music in the Great War" season. The radio adaptation retained many of the stage cast. [4]
April 2012 [3] | Radio 2014 [4] | |
---|---|---|
Ivor Gurney | Richard Goulding | |
Winifred Gurney | Stephanie Cole | |
Ethel Gurney | Bethan Langford | |
Marion Scott | Jemma Redgrave | |
Herbert Howells/Reg/Ronald Gurney | David Shaw Parker | |
Taylor | Nick Allen | |
Rose/Radio Girl | Holly Marie Bingham | |
Snowy/Dr | Alexander Cobb | |
Billy | Dominick Felix | |
Nurse Wallace | Katie Grosset | |
Wilf | Frazer Scott | |
Tug/Dr Terry | Adam Sullivan | |
Florence/Helen/Nurse Drummond | Zoe Waites |
The show was praised for its book and for Goulding's performance as Gurney. [3] There was some criticism of some of the supporting cast's acting. [3]
Ivor Bertie Gurney was an English poet and composer, particularly of songs. He was born and raised in Gloucester. He suffered from bipolar disorder through much of his life and spent his last 15 years in psychiatric hospitals. Critical evaluation of Gurney has been complicated by this, and also by the need to assess both his poetry and his music. Gurney himself thought of music as his true vocation: "The brighter visions brought music; the fainter verse".
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