Hymn is a memoir of music in childhood. In 2001, Alan Bennett and composer George Fenton embarked on a collaborative commission for the Medici Quartet; the result was Hymn. Instrumental passages for the quartet are interwoven with memoirs performed by Alex Jennings, underscored with hymns from Bennett's childhood. The music is performed by members of the Southbank Sinfonia.
Hymn is coupled with Cocktail Sticks, an oratorio without music that revisits some of themes and conversations of Alan Bennett's memoir, A Life Like Other People's. A son talks to his dead father as his mother yearns for a different life. Directed by Nicholas Hytner it's funny, tender and sad. Alex Jennings plays Alan Bennett in both pieces.
You can read Michael Billington's four star review here.
Guardian Extra members can buy tickets for £15 to see Cocktail Sticks at the National Theatre from 15 December to 15 January 2013 (normal price is £25). They can also buy tickets to see Hymn for £12 from 18 December to 14 January (normal price is £15).
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