And A Nightingale Sang

by C P Taylor

From 3rd April 2006
To 8th April 2006

Description

During wartime there are no public worries, only private worries. This is the story of a working class family from Newcastle as they deal with their personal relationships, preoccupations, troubles and joys whilst the future of their country is under threat. The use of period detail and music create an atmospheric backdrop that best shows off the spirit and determination that the family display in living through the dark days of the Second World War.

C P Taylor’s engaging drama was first presented in Newcastle in 1977.

Presented by - The Nonentities (A)

Location - Main House

Standard Ticket Prices

Curtain Up 7.30pm

From the Director

Prepare to be taken back to a time of blackout curtains, Anti Aircraft guns, last waltzes and spam sandwiches. However, while the social context of And A Nightingale Sang is part of its appeal, it is the recognition of known (but not cliché) characters and the familiarity of the domestic situations and familial relationships that really pull audiences in.

C.P. Taylor’s portrait of a working class family living in the North East is a play full of sentiment that avoids being sentimental, an unusual but engaging drama by one of those jobbing writers who never quite achieved the first rank but who managed some very strong and enduring pieces: To Be A Farmer’s Boy, Good and Shippel. While some of the writer’s work has dated, locked into a political viewpoint that no longer vibrates for us or the concerns of a particular community which do not speak more broadly, And A Nightingale Sang remains popular.

It is perhaps the writer’s most well known piece, a play possessed of both heart and common sense. By modern standards it is a somewhat rambling piece of nostalgia, but there is no denying the quality of the writing sometimes creating its effects by careful preparation, sometimes by a choice turn of phrase, sometimes by structural counterpoint, sometimes by the power of popular music. It is not perfect: some of its interests are not quite fully explored (Helen’s disability, Mam’s precise feeling for Father Monaghan); nor is everything introduced pursued to a definite end (George’s communism, Norman’s mother’s claims on him). However, it is a rich and resonant slice of life which captures the war years with humanity and humour.

We hope you enjoy it!