Everyone is talking about the Barn Theatre! Vicki Berwick’s theatrical adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel The Mozart Question, which debuted at the Cirencester theatre earlier this month, has critical acclaim across the National theatre critics with the production being commended as The Times’ Critic’s Pick and receiving a rave five-star review from The Daily Telegraph’s chief theatre critic Dominic Cavendish.
The play, which was originally planned to debut as part of the theatre’s 2020 season, marks the fourth production based on Michael Morpurgo’s work to be staged at the theatre and continues their ongoing relationship with the internationally best-selling author.
The Mozart Question follows acclaimed violinist Paolo Levi as he recounts, to a young reporter, his family’s connection to the Holocaust and the power of music in the hardest of times. The new adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s haunting tale of love, secrets and survival will be directed by Jessica Daniels (The Butterfly Lion, Girl From The North Country) and comprise of an actor-musician ensemble with composition, arrangements and musical supervision by Rudy Percival.
The Daily Telegraph’s chief theatre critic Dominic Cavendish said in his five-star review that The Mozart Question was “a play for today” and commented that “The brilliance of this adaptation by Vicky Berwick – directed by Jessica Daniels, with musical arrangements and original compositions by a young prodigy called Rudy Percival – is that it solves the ‘taste’ question, abstaining from overkill.”
The Times’ Dominic Maxwell praised the production in his four-star review saying that “this tender, atmospheric and richly musical version of Michael Morpurgo’s 2007 novella surely has the capacity to become another Morpurgo adaptation that will beguile audiences of all ages for years to come.” The production has since been included as a Critic’s Choice in The Times as well as a Theatre Pick of the Week in the Metro.
Sarah Hemming in her four-star review for the Financial Times called the show a “a tender, touching show about trauma” and locally the production was also a resounding success with critics, with Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard’s own Tara Perez proclaiming the show as “one of the most heart touching stories I’ve seen”.
The Mozart Question is a Built by Barn production in association with Bob & Marianne Benton for Anthology Theatre and The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham.
The production is running in Cirencester until 30 April with tickets on sale at www.barntheatre.org.uk.