top of page
‘A writer’s task is unravelling certain human lots, and seeing how they are woven and interwoven'
George Eliot is brought to bold and dramatic life, through Eliot’s novels, letters, journals, poetry and journalism.
The second richest woman of her day (after Queen Victoria), Eliot’s great works – Middlemarch, The Mill on the Floss, Adam Bede – and clear vision resonate as powerfully today.
With each performance starring a leading guest actor (Harriet Walter, Hermione Norris, Sally Phillips, Adjoa Andoh), Eliot's story weaves around a dazzlingly creative music programme from David Le Page, and in tune with George Eliot’s radicalism, features music by 21st century female singer-songwriters including Kate Bush, Florence + the Machine and FKA twigs.
Players from Orchestra of the Swan perform with acclaimed singer-songwriter, SuRie. Internationally renowned for classical, pop and musical theatre, SuRie also won the Offie for Lead Performance in a Musical in 2024 for her portrayal of Annie in Annie Get Your Gun.
Harriet Walter*
Hermione Norris*
Sally Phillips*
Adjoa Andoh*
SuRie
Written by
Deirdre Shields
Directed by
Judy Reaves
Music Arranged and Directed by
David Le Page
"The writer Virginia Woolf famously praised Middlemarch as being “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people”. She’d be pleased to know that George Eliot in Words and Music is indeed a play for grown-up people. It really is an intelligent piece of literary theatre crafted and presented by people who care about words and music."
Dr Diana Carroll, Artshub
"Dear Oxford Playhouse,
My friends and I attended "George Eliot in Words & Music" last evening, and we were stunned by the beauty of the production. I am pursuing a postgraduate degree in Victorian literature, and I have never seen such a compelling adaption of George Eliot's works and life. "
*Harriet Walter, Adjoa Andoh & Hermione Norris appear subject to availability
photos by Karla Gowlett, PhotoPerspective
bottom of page