Starring: Simon Callow , Michael Ball
Directed by: Tony Palmer
Produced by: Mike Bluett
Written by: John Osborne , Charles Wood
Slip effortlessly between 17th-century and 1960s England! Time barriers dissolve as a young playwright researches the life and times of Henry Purcell - one of England's greatest and most celebrated composers.
Item Number: 14646
Slip effortlessly between 17th-century and 1960s England! Time barriers dissolve as a young playwright researches the life and times of Henry Purcell - one of England's greatest and most celebrated composers. You'll be drawn into court intrigues and historic events as the young musician tries to make his name in the court of King Charles II. Follow Purcell's adventures - some true, some imagined - in the company of playwright John Dryden, diarist Samuel Pepys and the king's mistress, Nell Gwynne. Starring Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love) and Michael Ball (Coronation Street, Les Misérables in Concert). Sumptuously filmed on location, with a stunning soundtrack by - you guessed it - Henry Purcell.
| Charles II | --- | Simon Callow |
| Henry Purcell | --- | Michael Ball |
| Mary II | --- | Rebecca Front |
| Nell Gwyn | --- | Lucy Speed |
| Barbara Palmer | --- | Letitia Dean |
| Frances Purcell | --- | Nina Young |
| Samuel Pepys | --- | John Shrapnel |
| John Dryden | --- | Robert Stephens |
| Captain Henry Cooke | --- | Terence Rigby |
| Bill | --- | Bill Kenwright |
| Anthony Ashley Cooper | --- | Murray Melvin |
| William of Orange | --- | Corin Redgrave |
Written by John Osborne, Charles Wood
Directed by Tony Palmer
Produced by Mike Bluett
Executive Produced by Simon Flind
Cinematography by Nicholas D. Knowland
Costume Design by John Hibbs
Purcell is one of the few composers buried in Westminster Abbey, where he was the organist. You'll find him in the North Choir Aisle, next to the organ.