Details

Eight Songs for a Mad King is an extravagant, disturbing and poignant portrayal of madness. The king is George III of England - or maybe another madman who believes himself to be that monarch - singing weirdly as he bemoans his fate and tries to teach his instrumentalist-birds to sing. The work draws on actual quotations of the King and on the records of those at court, including stories of the King singing extracts of The Messiah, speaking gibberish very quickly and teaching his pet birds to sing. It's an exploration of the King's mental state and an exploration of the affliction of madness.

Creatives/Company

Music: Peter Maxwell Davies
Lyrics: Randolph Stow

Archive listings for Eight Songs for a Mad King

Work type: Opera or Operetta.

T01504944950

Eight Songs is performed alongside Vasco Mendon?a's compelling new setting of Samuel Beckett's monologue Ping. Combining live performance with digital sound and video scenography, this is a work at the cutting edge of contemporary European music theatre. Sung in EnglishProducer Music Theatre Wales. Performer Kelvin Thomas (King George III).
16 Jul 13Buxton Opera House, Buxton :: V424
listing details L986529142
18 Apr 13Theatr Clwyd, Mold :: V810
listing details L2101102953
17 Apr 13Arts Centre, Aberystwyth :: V817
listing details L0681070963

T837244197

Company Psappha Productions. Director Tim Carroll. Design Soutra Gilmour. Lighting Simon Opie.
3 Feb 02Oxford Playhouse, Oxford :: V803
listing details L1114334260

T620326983

Company Psappha Productions. Director Tim Carroll. Design Soutra Gilmour. Lighting Simon Opie. Performer Kelvin Thomas (baritone).
17 Jan 02 to 19 Jan 02Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Outer London :: V315
listing details L1788043753
2 Jul 00The Tron, Glasgow :: V622
listing details L0116887739
30 Jun 00MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling :: V642
listing details L1565910271
29 Jun 00General, Dumfries :: V0393328018
listing details L01108215127
26 Jun 00Eden Court Theatre, Inverness :: V626
listing details L0941390159
25 Jun 00Lemon Tree, Aberdeen :: V587
listing details L1734437571
23 Jun 00Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh :: V604
listing details L01509749811

Other listings

16 Jul 04Buxton Opera House, Buxton :: V424
listing details L0311616001
CORONAVIRUS: All UK venues closed on 16th March 2020, restrictions were lifted on 19th July 2021. Please note that iUKTDb archive listings between March 2020 and July 2021 may not be accurate as we did not receive details of all rescheduled and cancelled shows.

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