British playwright Tom Stoppard has announced that he’ll be producing a new broadcast for BBC Radio 2. Inspired by and featuring the music from the Pink Floyd classic Dark Side of the Moon, the long-simmering project will hit the airwaves this August -just in time to celebrate the 1973 release’s 40th anniversary.
Here’s what The Guardian has to say:
The play, called Dark Side, was described by Radio 2′s head of music, Jeff Smith, as a “dramatic examination of themes including conflict, greed and madness”.
The project has the blessing of Pink Floyd’s frontman, David Gilmour, who said he had read the script and found it fascinating.
Stoppard, whose plays include Arcadia and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, is a long-time Pink Floyd fan. His 2006 play Rock’n'Roll, which also starred Sewell, featured haunting allusions to the band’s founder, the late Syd Barrett, and was described by one critic as a “deeply moving memorial to the great lost leader of British pop”.
The lead roles in Dark Side will be taken by Iwan Rheon, best known for his portrayal of Simon Bellamy in E4′s Misfits, and stage actor Amaka Okafor, with contributions from Nighy, Sewell and Adrian Scarborough.
The broadcaster and pop historian Paul Gambaccini said: “It is a concept album in mood and attitude, if not in plot. I know his [Stoppard's] interest in rock is truly deep and there is truly nobody better in the world to do this.”
It’s a long wait until August. Bide your time watching The Making of Dark Side of the Moon courtesy of my YouTube Channel.
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