Miriam Margolyes to star in Peter and the Wolf

Adelaide Festival Peter and the Wolf Miriam MargolyesThe warm, whimsical and occasionally wicked Miriam Margolyes will return to Adelaide in March for the exclusive Australian premiere of the children’s classic Peter and the Wolf with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra as part of the 2017 Adelaide Festival.

Margolyes will play the role of narrator, with music by the ASO conducted by Nicholas Carter, and direction by Patch Theatre Company Artistic Director Naomi Edwards. This Adelaide exclusive performance will enchant both the young and young at heart with its program of storytelling and orchestral delights.

A veteran of stage and screen with a career spanning more than 50 years, Margolyes is a BAFTA Award winning actress beloved for her many iconic film roles including Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series and Juliet’s nurse in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet; she is also acclaimed for voice roles in children’s animated films James and the Giant Peach, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole and Babe.

Well known to Australian TV audiences for her roles in hit ABC shows Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Rake, Margolyes most recently visited Adelaide in 2015 as part of the national tour of her critically acclaimed one woman show The Importance of Being Miriam and is delighted to return to the city which she says has “taken her heart”.

Margolyes will lend her distinctive voice to the role of narrator in Sergei Prokofiev’s timeless Peter and the Wolf – a combination of symphony and storytelling that introduces children to the different instruments of the orchestra through the tale of young Peter and the various animals he meets when he ventures outside his grandfather’s garden gate. With each animal represented by a particular instrument and musical theme, Peter and the Wolf helps children to learn about music and the orchestra in a fun and engaging way.

In part two of the program Margolyes will also narrate Benjamin Britten’s mini-masterpiece The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra – a set of stunningly witty vignettes for each instrumental group rounded by a dazzling fugue. Also featured will be Leoš Janácek‘s operatic tale of love and fantasy The Cunning Little Vixen, and the famous Polovtsian dances from Borodin’s barbarian fairytale Prince Igor.

Adelaide Festival Co-Artistic Director Rachel Healy says it is a coup to host Margolyes at her first Adelaide Festival in such a “joyous” concert. “Part of the genius of both Britten and Prokofiev was their ability to speak directly to generations of children,” said Ms Healy.

“The wit and suspense of Peter and the Wolf and the freshness and fun of Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra derive from clearly etched melody, brightly coloured orchestration and dazzling compositional technique. It’s a joyous introduction to classical music for kids and families.”

Peter and the Wolf
Festival Theatre – Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road, Adelaide
Performances: 11 & 12 Match 2017
Information and Bookings: www.adelaidefestival.com.au

Image: Miriam Margolyes – courtesy of Adelaide Festival