''The Pocket Orchestra'' is a play written by

Graeme Garden David Graeme Garden OBE (born 18 February 1943) is a Scottish comedian, actor, author, artist and television presenter, best known as a member of The Goodies and a regular panellist on ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue''. Early life and education ...

, with the music scored by Callum McLeod. It ran in London at Trafalgar Studios 2 from 26 April 2006 until 20 May 2006. The idea was devised by Callum McLeod after putting together a concert of his father's favourite pieces of classical music arranged for small groups of musicians.Interview by Sean Rafferty on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

's ''In Tune'', 19 April 2006. The director was Richard Williams, the designer David Collis and the lighting designer David Horn. Subtitled "The Unlikely Lives of the Great Composers", it is a 90-minute history of classical music told through the lives of the great composers. Twenty-six composers are featured on stage during the course of the show, which features live performances from a cast of six actor/musicians who were Sebastian Bates, Emma Correlle, Karen Fisher-Pollard, Ella Smith, Paul Arden-Griffiths, Ian Harris and additionally has former ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' star

Sylvester McCoy Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith (born 20 August 1943), known professionally as Sylvester McCoy, is a Scottish actor. Gaining prominence as a physical comedian, he became best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the lon ...

as the host (or Showman) who guides the audience through the performance. Features of the show included singing a laundry list to "Largo al Factotum" from ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

'', a short snippet of

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

's ''

4′33″ ''4′33″'' (pronounced "four minutes, thirty-three seconds" or just "four thirty-three") is a three- movement composition by American experimental composer John Cage. It was composed in 1952, for any instrument or combination of instruments, ...

'' and Sylvester McCoy playing the

Spoon A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for ...

References

External links

The Pocket Orchestra Flyer''Pocket Orchestra'' Official Web Site
2006 plays {{italic title