Fire On The River
A Musical based on The Great Fire of London
Written and composed by Graeme John Webber
The riotous new musical Fire on the River, which is set during the Great Fire of London in 1666, will illuminate the history books with music, song and dance from 6 – 30 October at three theatres in Auckland; Glen Eden’s Playhouse, Papatoetoe’s Spotlight and Takapuna’s Pumphouse. Historic characters and first hand on-the-spot accounts from London diarists are woven into the narrative and accompanied by 28 musical numbers spanning genres and generations!
1st September 1666, a boy and a girl meet at the historic Queenhithe Market by the River Thames. London is only just recovering from last year’s eruption of rats, spreading deadly plague to thousands. But a long spell of hot dry weather has seen the medieval City of London become tinder dry…
Writer and Composer Graeme John Webber was inspired by a trip to London, in which he encountered the intriguing stories of medieval Londoners in a time of massive upheaval; Charles II was restored to the Monarchy after hard-line puritan Oliver Cromwell’s 11 year rule and in 1665 London was decimated by plague.
Webber’s plot follows the unprecedented destruction of the Great Fire, which first struck after midnight on 2nd September 1666 at Farriner’s Bakery in Pudding Lane and continued raging wildly through until 5th September! The fire destroyed over 10,000 houses and many major buildings including St Paul’s Cathedral, the King’s Printing House with Shakespeare’s original Manuscripts, The Royal Exchange, and the Old Bailey.
Far from a quiet history lesson, Fire on the River embodies some of the major personalities of the day – combining humour with romance, a touch of drama and a LOT of original songs and lyrics. The characters include; famous Diarists Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, the newly restored monarch King Charles II and his vampy mistress Nell Gwynne, the squabbling Farriners who owned the Bakery where the fire started, scary Mother Shipton who foretold London’s destruction by fire and a very pompous Lord Mayor Sir Robert Bludworthy.
Directed by Jacqui Thorpe, Fire on the River features a large talented cast, costumed by Pat Lott, and a live band led by professional muso George Bonner. The repertoire has been a fantastic challenge with styles ranging from harpsichord period pieces to standout Rock’n’roll!
Find out more at www.fireontheriver.net
Fire On The River plays:
Playhouse Theatre, Glen Eden
6 – 16 October
15 Glendale Road, Glen Eden
Tickets here
Spotlight Theatre, Papatoetoe
18 – 23 October
Allan Brewster Centre, Tavern Lane, Papatoetoe
Tickets here
Pumphouse Theatre, Takapuna
25 – 30 October
Killarney Park (off Manurere Avenue), Takapuna
Tickets here:
