About Doomsday Some years ago Yorkshire poet Tony Harrison created a set of
three Mystery Plays based on the medieval Chester, Wakefield, Coventry and York
cycles. You may have been lucky enough to see these in production at the
National Theatre. The result was pure spectacle, with sights such as Brian
Glover as God the Master Builder, complete with hard hat, raised high above His
creation by a fork lift truck.
Doomsday is the third and final play in
the cycle. Despite starting with the harrowing of hell and ending with the end
of the world, Doomsday contains some great humour, very much in the
style of The Nativity. The 'jobsworth' Knights are still bickering,
and Satan's demons return to harass the audience like true pantomime villains.
Many of the other characters from The Nativity and The Passion also
return.
As with The Nativity and The Passion, music plays an essential
part. Working alongside Harrison, John Tams and the
band 'Home Service' produced a stunning score. Some of the music from The
Nativity and The Passion is reprised, along with some great new music -
giving Mary a New Orleans jazz funeral was inspired! Rooted in the folk
tradition, their music weaves a thread through the narrative, a perfect match
for the story telling tradition which produced and preserved the Mystery Plays
themselves. Like the plays, the music is presented in a distinctive,
contemporary style. Turvey Mysteries are pleased to present a
community production of the third of Tony Harrison's celebrated
cycle of mystery plays, Doomsday,
on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th October 2008, in
the wonderful historical setting of All Saints' Church, Turvey,
Bedfordshire.
If you're interested in knowing more about Doomsday, follow
these links to the characters and
scenes .
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