Paul McCartney is Dead - Camden People's Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
BROKEN Glass Theatre Company is presenting Vicky Flood’s dystopian ghost story, Paul McCartney is Dead, at two London venues.
An original story of censorship, repression, and the difficulty of remembering the past, Paul McCartney is Dead previews at the Camden People’s Theatre as part of the 2010 Camden Fringe (August 22 to August 25), followed by a site-specific production hosted by The Rag Factory, just off Brick Lane (August 27 to August 30).
In the midst of violent revolution two brothers retreat to their childhood home, a now derelict house where jars of pickled objects press against the walls. Whilst the brothers await the coming of the grey men, the merciless agents of progress, their world abounds with conspiracy theories and Paul McCartney – and the music they can no longer hear – becomes a symbol of everything that is lost.
Told from the perspective of Libby, the sole survivor of the tale, and the recordings she pieces together to create a version of their history, the truth becomes an unstable position and a conversation with the dead.
Theatre, live music, and immersive set design combine to create a sinister world where music is forbidden but sound is the only key to understanding the past.
Alex Buckingham directs a cast that includes Matthew Bunn, Louisa Coward, Imogen Goodman, Steve King, Liz Jardine Smith, Miriam Sully, and Luke Surl.
Broken Glass Theatre Company’s previous work includes The Golem (Roundhouse Studio Theatre, Camden Fringe 2009) and Song (Roxy Art House, Edinburgh Fringe 2008).
Paul McCartney is Dead has music by Alex Buckingham and Tom Ward, and is designed by Andrew Buckingham.
Tickets (both venues): £7.50 – for Camden People’s Theatre ring the Camden Fringe ticketline on 08444 77 1000 or visit www.camdenfringe.org. Tickets for The Rag Factory will be available on the door an hour and a half before each performance, and can also be reserved by emailing your name, the performance date, and the number of tickets required to tickets@brokenglassplay.co.uk.
Times: Camden People’s Theatre at 9.15pm; The Rag Factory at 9.15pm from August 27 – 29 and 7.30pm on August 30.
The Rag Factory, Unit 2, 37 Heneage Street, London, E1 5LJ