In Brixton, Nora and Dora Chance – twin chorus girls born and bred south of the river – are celebrating their 75th birthday. Over the river in Chelsea, their father and greatest actor of his generation Melchior Hazard turns 100 on the same day. As does his twin brother Peregrine. If, in fact, he’s still alive. And if, in truth, Melchior is their real father after all…
Wise Children is a hymn to the radical act of preferring your family of choice over your biological origins. Based on Angela Carter’s riotous novel about a south London theatrical dynasty, the story extols temporary friendships and female solidarity in a world of class divisions and uncertain livelihoods. Expect showgirls and Shakespeare, sex and scandal, music, mischief and mistaken identity.
This production was filmed at York Theatre Royal in 2019 and is described by our London colleague, Roz Chalmers.
Join host Amy Amantea in the VocalEye virtual lobby at 6:30 pm Pacific Time for some pre-show mingling. Introductory descriptive notes begin at 6:45 pm and the performance begins at 7 pm. Running time is about 2 hours and 16 minutes, plus a 15-minute intermission. Hang out after the show and be entered to win a $25 gift card to Moose’s Down Under where you can enjoy a non-virtual beer and the friendliest service in town!
Register for your VocalEye Zoom invitation by contacting info@vocaleye.ca or call 604-364-5949. Please let us know where you’re from and if you identify as a member of the blind/partially sighted community or as a sighted supporter. This one-time registration will give you access to all upcoming Virtual VocalEye events.
“For those of you in mourning for the theatre, Wise Children could not be a more theatrical and joyful antidote.” –Broadway World
“The play is the thing and it can do anything. Misfortune brings on more zest – there is no holding back. Stars? I am not sure why you would stop at five.” –The Guardian
“It’s unbuttoned, unleashed and unafraid of wearing its heart on its ceaselessly flapping sleeves.” –The Arts Desk
Angela Carter’s writing occupies a unique place in 20th-century fiction, a place where myths around gender and sexuality are debunked and where not even the deepest darkest recesses of human imagination are off-limits. Part of her appeal lies in the way her works defy genre, playfully combining elements of surrealism, Gothic, magic realism, traditional fairytales, feminism and postmodernism.
