The Bards of Bromley
I heard a fantastic Afternoon Play on Radio 4 this afternoonââThe Bards of Bromleyâ, by Perry Pontac. The conceit was that a number of famous writers have turned up for a writerâs workshop in Bromley, to discuss their most popular literary works: George Eliot (“Middlemarch”), William Wordsworth (“Daffodils”), August Strindberg (Dance of Death), Goethe (Faust) and AA Milne (Piglet Meets a Heffalump). Thatâs a pretty good start for a comic drama right there.
Wordsworth makes friends with AA Milne and takes some âtinctureâ given to him by Coleridge (a bad idea), Strindberg tries to seduce George Eliot, and Goethe just says âNein!â a lot. Everyone rather hesitantly refers to George Eliot as âMr. Eliotâ, despite the evidence in front of their eyes. Strindberg is hugely critical of everyoneâs work (his critique of Wordsworthâs âDaffodilsâ is hysterically funny), and AA Milne is lovely to everyone. Milne even describes Strindbergâs âDance of Deathâ as a âmadcap rompâ and âfun for all the familyâ.
Do yourself a favourâif youâre a fan of classic literature, and you feel like having a laugh, listen to The Bards of Bromley now before it disappears from Listen Again.
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it does sound interesting...
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LOL!!!! Poor Mary Ann... that Strindberg is one cold, hilarious bastard. :D Goethe's monologue cracked me up too. I'm gong to be quoting this one for a long time. As Milne says repeatedly, "absolutely topping!"
by Aaron @ 26/03/2004 2:04 am • Permalink •
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stacy: Give it a listen!
Aaron: Goethe's monologue was the best bit, and quite an unexpected twist.
by bsag @ 26/03/2004 8:04 pm • Permalink •
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Thanks for the link . . . that sounds absolutely delightful!
by Artichoke Heart @ 27/03/2004 4:03 am • Permalink •
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