SHELLEY: The Rebel Heart
Who on Earth was Shelley? (That is a very common question - believe it
or not!)
Why is he still discussed and quoted more than 200 years after his birth?
Those of you who know something about him already may want to come along to SHELLEY: The Rebel Heart to find out a great deal more - and to hear some of the vivid and beautiful words he wrote.
Those who would like an answer to that first question are in for quite a surprise! The facts, relationships, and the extracts from his work that you will hear - will amaze you. Then you will have to make up your own mind about him.
Like most of us, Shelley was a bundle of contradictions - both good and bad. His friend, the notorious poet Lord Byron, said of him, 'He is truth itself and honour itself - notwithstanding his out-of-the-way notions of religion and morality.'
In these days of sound bites, we could begin with 'a child of the swinging 60's, born over a century ahead of his time.'
As you turn to your neighbor during the interval, we predict your different opinions are quite likely to lead to argument! At the end of the play we believe there will be common ground on which you can agree. A 'rebel' certainly, but with a heart as large as his imagination and his genius - and, according to his own lights, a man of conscience. You will not forget him!
Shelley was wild, passionate, defiant, utterly impractical, and full of generous enthusiasms. His father never really understood him or his political beliefs. Society took note when he eloped with a girl of 16. The gossips had a field day when he eloped a second time with Mary, who would become his wife, and Mary's stepsister Claire! Mary subsequently wrote Frankenstein and Claire was later to have Lord Byron's child.
SHELLEY: The Rebel Heart is in two acts, each 45 minutes long, with an intermission. There is also a shorter version lasting 60 minutes without intermission. The presentation adapts well to large meeting rooms, lecture halls, and Stately Homes as well as to small and medium-size theatres.
OUR MEMBERS AND GUESTS ENJOYED THE EVENING TREMENDOUSLY!
D M Nicholson, Executive Director, English-Speaking Union, Washington
D.C.
THANK YOU FOR THE SHELLEY EXPERIENCE. IT WAS ENLIGHTENING,
HUMOROUS, AND MOVING. IAN POIGNANTLY PORTRAYED YOUNG SHELLEY, HIS LOVERS
AND FRIENDS. I CAME AWAY WITH A NEW IMPRESSION OF THE MAN.
Virginia Ireland
"Shelley has a fire in his eye, a fever in his blood, and
a maggot in his brain ... though a man in knowledge, he is a child
in feeling." [William Hazlitt]
"He is truth itself, and honour itself - notwithstanding his out-of-the-way
notions about religion and morality." [Lord Byron]
"Shelley is a 'possibilista' - hanging in there, maybe getting kicked
in the teeth, but believing it will all work out." [Bernard
Hickey]
Dear Bill and Ian,
A word of thanks for the Shelley experience. It was enlightening, humorous, and moving. I came away with a new impression of the man. I've been thinking that maybe he was a nineteenth century version of the flower children of the 60's, with all their rebellion and idealism, but none of their knowledge about pregnancy prevention! Ian portrayed poignantly how very young Shelley and his lovers and friends were. His early death was a world loss.
The evening reminded me, too, of a course I took in college on the Romantic Poets. I was up for an A so I crammed for the exam, especially for Shelley because I knew our professor was a Shelley man. But the essay question I faced came out of left field: Discuss the moon in Shelley's poetry. I still couldn't do it, but I'm sure you could - brilliantly.
All the best,
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TO REPEAT: If you are interested in a performance, or can suggest a contact by name who might be, please get in touch with us. We travel and our fees are flexible - relating to the venue and the funding available. |
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all look forward to hearing from you ... and hopefully arranging a booking !
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