amdram.co.uk

This play takes place in Elgar’s later years, March 1920, to be exact and focuses on Elagar’s relationship with his music, and the women in his life, namely his wife Alice and his mistress Windflower.

We find Lady Alice desperately seeking approval from her husband for her poetry, at the same time dealing with her terminal illness. Elgar is critical, dismissive, and at times derogative about her poetry, and the audience get the impression that he has little, if no concern for his wife’s feelings. However we see a different side to him when Lady Alice Stuart of Wortley, affectionately known as Windflower, arrives. She is, and has been, Elgar’s muse, and we get the impression that their relationship was more than professional; also that Windflower wasn’t Elgar’s only muse.

In Act 1 there is touching scene between the two women as they appreciate they have so much in common, and Lady Alice reveals that she has known about Windflower all along.

Act 2 picks up one week later and covers the last few minutes of Lady Alice’s life. Both Elgar and Alice finally reveal their true affection / love for each other and the strength behind their relationship. The play finishes with a heart breaking scene where Lady Alice dies in Elgar’s arms.

Elgar and Alice is a delightfully moving piece for a more mature cast of four, one male (Elgar) and three women (Lady Alice, Windflower, and Sarah Allen the housekeeper).

There is only one set, but as it is set in 1920 there is a requirement for some period features, including a gramophone, as you would expect Elgar plays his own music throughout.

The script, published by Sevenpix, includes a foreword by the author Peter Sutton, which gives the reader a good insight into Edward Elgar and his background. There is also a piece by Gerald Harper, who played Elgar in the original production in 2007 to mark the 150th anniversary of Elgar’s birth. In this Harper describes how he took on the role and why.

Having read through this play a couple of times I have come to enjoy this script more and more, and I hope a company near me puts this production on shortly.

Purchase from Amazon.co.uk

To help fund the running of amdram.co.uk we are affiliated with both amazon.co.uk and The Internet Theatre Bookshop.  We get a small commission for each purchase made via these links.  Where possible we link to both stores so that you can choose your favourite.

You can also visit amdram.co.uk’s Amazon Affiliate store which lists all plays and books appearing on amdram.co.uk.