''All the Angels'' (full title ''All the Angels: Handel and the First Messiah'') is a 2015 play with music by the British poet

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognit ...

treating the 1742 Dublin premiere of

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's '' Messiah'' and the actor-singer Susannah Cibber's involvement in it. Other historical figures such as the work's librettist

Charles Jennens Charles Jennens (1700 – 20 November 1773) was an English landowner and patron of the arts. As a friend of Handel, he helped author the libretti of several of his oratorios, most notably ''Messiah''. Life Jennens was brought up at Gopsall H ...

, the music historian

Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicist a ...

and the soprano

Christina Maria Avoglio Christina Maria Avoglio or Avolia (''floruit'', 1727–1744)Karl-Josef Kutsch, Leo Riemens: ''Avoglio, Christina Maria'', in: ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', Bd. 4, 4. Auflage, K. G. Saur, München, 2003 (2012), S. 183, in Auszügen al Google-Book(Abr ...

also appear. It draws its name from '' Let all the angels of God worship Him'', the chorus of Part II, Scene 4 from ''Messiah'', itself quoting and titled after Hebrews 1:6. It briefly premiered from 26 June to 6 July 2015 at the

Sam Wanamaker Theatre The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is an indoor theatre forming part of Shakespeare's Globe, along with the Globe Theatre on Bankside, London. Built making use of 17th-century plans for an indoor theatre, the playhouse recalls the layout and style of th ...

, directed by Jonathan Munby, followed by a longer run at the same venue from 6 December 2016 to 12 February 2017. In both productions Handel was played by

David Horovitch David Horovitch (born 11 August 1945) is an English actor, perhaps best known for playing the character of Inspector Slack in ''Miss Marple''. He stars in the '' Game of Thrones'' prequel series ''House of the Dragon'' as Grand Maester Mellos. ...

, Cibber by Kelly Price and the choric figure of Crazy Crow by

Sean Campion Sean Campion (born 20 December 1959) is an Irish actor known for his portrayal as Virginio Orsini in the historical drama television series '' Borgia''. In theatre, he is best known for his portrayal as Jake Quinn in Marie Jones's '' Stones in H ...

, with the music sung by members of Genesis Sixteen, the training programme of the choir The Sixteen.

Notes

References

{{Messiah (Handel) 2015 plays George Frideric Handel in fiction Cultural depictions of George Frideric Handel Biographical plays about musicians Plays set in the 18th century Plays based on music Plays based on real people Plays set in Dublin (city)