Tom Stoppard’s DARKSIDE (2013)On 26th August 2013 BBC Radio 2 hosted a day of programmes celeb
Tom Stoppard’s DARKSIDE (2013)
On 26th August 2013 BBC Radio 2 hosted a day of programmes celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the release of Pink Floyd’sThe Dark Side Of The Moon. One of those programmes was the much anticipated play Darkside written by Tom Stoppard. He’d been originally in discussion about writing a play based on the LP since after its initial release, but had no idea of how to approach it.
Forty years later he sidestepped the concept of trying to literally interpret the album as a theatrepiece and instead simply used it as a thematic guide. It works very well, is very evocative.
The images are from the Aardman Animation accompaniment to the last few minutes of the play, broadcast simultaneously on various websites at the time of the original airing of the programme.
The cast includes Rufus Sewell, as the schoolteacher Mr Baggott and his superhero alter-ego Ethics Man and Welsh renaissance man Iwan RheonasThe Boy. He’s more commonly known as happy psychopath Ramsay Snow/BoltoninGame of Unsympatheticmonarchistshitebags. Link to the audio under the title line at the top.
