New plays in the Swanamaker have tended to have a classical music theme to tie in
with the venue's concert series -
Farinelli and the King has so far been the big hit. Nick
Drake's
All the Angels is a returning show from the Dominic Dromgoole era,
with a look at a particularly famous piece of music: Handel (David Horovitch) was
best-known for opera but had had some embarrassing flops when the libretto to
Messiah came his way. A religious choral work seemed a welcome change from
opera, an art form he felt had betrayed him, while an invitation to do a residency
in Dublin got him away from the scene of his humiliation, as well as a much-needed
paycheck.
