Rest and peace eternal grant them.
In memory of those who have died at war.
Confutatis
Libera Me
When the cursed all are banished...
...summon me amongst the blessed.
The expulsion of the enemy within.
Dies Irae
Day of anger day of judgement...when all shall crumble into ashes
In memory of black Wednesday
Lacrimosa
Day of bitter lamentation...pity this thy servant
When the day of work is over
Liber scriptus
All our sins are an open book.
The tabloid press
Rex Tremendae
King omnipotent...fount of mercy
They made weapons for profitable slaughter
Recordare
Remember
In loving memory of loving
Offertorium
Sacrifice and prayers we offer
Hear our prayer
In Paradisum
In paradise
The promised land
Lord deliver me from death....
(...and social responsibility)
Requiem Aeternam
Download Script
‘Requiem
– a gloriously imaginative, compulsively witty musical evocation
of the ills
of contemporary Britain,
it uses a traditional requiem
format
to explore the plight of those
cold-shouldered by
modern society.’
Paul Sussman - Big Issue
First produced in 1994, this satirical theatrical revue is based on a traditional requiem format, which is also a review of Conservative rule the last time round, from 1979 - 1997. The words are selected from Simon Rae's weekly Saturday poems, which appeared during that time in The Guardian, set in a variety of musical styles by Sue Casson.
The idea of using Rae's poems as the basis for writing a revue in the form of a Requiem was director Tom Blackmore’s.
Based on a Latin liturgy, the traditional requiem follows the progress of departed souls from the moment of death and mourning, to their final resting place in paradise, with each movement describing a different stage in the journey. This revue charts a journey that begins with the Falklands War, through the money grabbing 80’s, and looks towards the possible paradise we have in prospect.
It is a requiem for jobs, homes and aspirations; for paternalism in the workplace; for the right to personal privacy - and collectively, for an understanding of what truly matters in a world where the relentless pursuit of commercialism seems to have overshadowed all other considerations.
With our first exclusively Conservative government in nearly 20 years presently in power, it is striking how little has changed. The message of Requiem remains as relevant now as it did 20 years ago.
A musical snapshot of
Conservative Britain.
‘Requiem
played at the Edinburgh and London Fringes 1996.
Cast
Delroy Atkinson
Abi Blackmore
Sue Casson
John Herriman
Laurence Taylor
'This all singing, (but no dancing) show is absolutely fabulous...put Requiem on your list of must sees.'
STAGE