BBC Radio 4 brings The Kinks’ Arthur to life in new dramaOFFICIAL PRESS RELEASENEWS PROVIDED BY BBC Radio 4 In the year of its 50th anniversary, The Kinks’ album Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) has been transformed into an audio drama for BBC Radio 4. Arthur has been adapted by The Kinks frontman and modern music icon Ray Davies himself, alongside Olivier-nominated playwright, dramaturg and musician Paul Sirett. The story - of both the drama and the original album - sees a close-knit, working-class family torn apart when Ray's brother-in-law, Arthur, decides to move his family half way around the world to Australia. Ray Davies says: “The album Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) is inspired by real life events. Arthur’s generation returned from war to find Britain’s future in the midst of cultural and social change and political uncertainty, much like today. A play set yesterday about all our tomorrows.” Arthur features songs written at a pivotal time in British culture that have been re-versioned especially for Radio 4, fifty years later. The cast includes Lee Ross as Arthur and Rosie Cavaliero as Rose. Radio 4 Commissioning Editor for Drama and Fiction, Alison Hindell, says: “It's not often that a radio drama makes you want to dance as you listen but this reinvention of Ray Davies and The Kinks' seminal album really does. It's a heartfelt true story of a particular moment in recent history that has resonances today about the ways in which we connect as humans at times of great social change - through story, music, home and family.” Arthur Saturday 2 November The Songs: Victoria… performed by The Kinks Cast and crew: Arthur… Lee Ross A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4
Source BBC Radio 4
October 3, 2019 8:09am ET by BBC Radio 4 |