Admission: One Shilling
Image: Photo: Gussie Welch
In collaboration with star of stage and screen Patricia Routledge and internationally renowned pianist Piers Lane, Nigel Hess brings to life the world of his great-aunt, famed wartime performer Dame Myra Hess.
A story of female heroism through art, the production uses press and radio interviews as a springboard for evoking this rich and charming character.
Using archive photographs projected above the stage, Routledge is able to transport the audience. Through her in-character recount of Hess’s lunchtime concerts, Routledge mirrors the sparkling magnetism that brought a molecule of hope to civilians during World War 2.
Like sitting with an elderly relative as they flip through a photo album of their youth, Admission One Shilling promises to be an intimate reflection on collective history and the personal stories that are nestled within it. The piece plays with the modes of storytelling and music as a vessel for memory itself.
Piers Lane’s masterful playing speaks to the magical escapism that is achieved through performance. Lane’s playing of Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann and Chopin animates Hess’s legacy via the soundtrack of her life.
Directed by Christopher Luscombe this sophisticated and graceful production promises the perfect afternoon delight for lovers of classical music. (CK)
May 13-16, Glen St Theatre, Glen St & Blackbutt Rd, Belrose; May 17-18, City Recital Hall, Angel Pl, $89-99, admissiononeshilling.com
BY CATHERINE KNIGHT
