Olivier Award winner George Maguire will star in What I Am at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a new production from Northern Partners directed by two-time OFFIE Award nominee Guy Retallack.
Running at Greenside at George Street from 7 to 15 August, the play places audiences inside the asylum room of poet John Clare as he fights to hold on to his name, his past and his sanity.
Faced with a single opportunity to prove himself, Clare attempts to complete his greatest poem, I Am. As his recital begins to unravel, he turns to the audience for help, drawing them into a story that is both tragic and uplifting.
Blending English folk music with electronic textures and beats, What I Am combines lyricism, ribald humour and desperation as Clare’s mind unravels and questions of identity, memory and recognition emerge.
The production explores themes that continue to resonate today, including the healing power of nature, environmental destruction, isolation and the fear of being unseen. By bringing Clare into close proximity with a modern audience, the play aims to make his struggles feel immediate and contemporary.
Maguire is best known for winning the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance as Dave Davies in Sunny Afternoon. His recent theatre credits include Burlesque The Musical, Death Note in Concert, Tarantino Live and Bonnie & Clyde.
The creative team includes writer Jim Pickles, whose first professional theatre work was John Clare: The Madhouse Sessions, and award-winning composer and lyricist Eric Angus.
Jim Pickles and Eric Angus said: “We wanted to tell the story of a great artist trying desperately to prove his sanity and hold on to his identity in an all-or-nothing performance. We want the audience not just to be watching. We want them to feel part of the struggle.”
Produced by Northern Partners, What I Am continues the company’s focus on intimate, audience-engaged storytelling while highlighting the contemporary relevance of stories from the past.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
