Pearl (radio play)
Pearl is a 1978 radio play by award-winning English playwright John Arden. Set in England in the 1640s, the play concerns a young Irish political operative named Pearl, who, with playwright Tom Backhouse, attempts to sway the political climate in favour of the British Parliament, as part of a plan to achieve Irish sovereignty.[1]
| Pearl: A Play About a Play Within a Play | |
|---|---|
| Written by | John Arden |
| Characters | Pearl Backhouse Grimscar Belladonna Duchess Gideon Grip Captain Catso |
| Date premiered | 3 July 1978 |
| Place premiered | BBC Radio 4 London |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | England, 1640 |
Production
Pearl was produced and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 3 July 1978, with the following cast:
- Pearl - Elizabeth Bell
- Mother Bumroll - Paula Tilbrook
- Barnabas/Male Voice - David Mahlowe
- Stage Manager/Casca/Actor - John Jardine
- Grip - Geoffrey Banks
- Sowse/Caesar - Ronald Herdman
- Grimscar/1st Commoner - Peter Jeffrey
- Backhouse/Soothsayer - David Calder
- Belladonna - Lynda Marchal
- Duchess - Kathleen Helme
- Catso/Marullus - Kenneth Alan Taylor
- Katerina/Female Voice - Jane Knowles
- Messenger/Flavius/Actor - Robert Morton
- Music composed and conducted by Stephen Boxer
- Musicians Ephraim Segerman and members of the Northern Renaissance Consort
- Produced by Alfred Bradley
Critical reception
The play won a Giles Cooper Award in 1978, and is considered one of the finest examples of the medium.
Publication
Hardcover and Paperback editions were published by Eyre Methuen in 1979.
References
- Arden, John (1979). Pearl: A Play about a Play Within a Play. London, Eyre Methuen. ISBN 0-413-40090-5
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