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   Part of Span Arts ‘Come to a play month’

by Mike Maran.
with music by Karen Wimhurst
directed by Patrick Sandford

A play with music about fathers and sons.

From the company that brought you ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,’ ‘The Little World of Don Camillo,’ and ‘Novecento (1900)’ comes this enchanting tale about fathers and sons.One day in the late sixties a young lad on the hippy trail hitching though the south of France is picked up by a photographer who is on his way to an assignment at Picasso’s home.  He takes the boy with him who becomes the photographer’s assistant for a day and Picasso paints his portrait.  The boy isn’t impressed.  ‘It doesn’t look like me! ’

- and Picasso says, ‘It will!’

Fast forward to the present day and he sees a portrait in a gallery in Paris. Could it possibly be Picasso's portrait from all these years ago?  Surely not!  But the picture evokes powerful memories of that day at Picasso’s house and the paintings he saw of the artist’s father and his sons – and he starts to think about his own father and his own sons.   The story unfolds to an original soundtrack composed by Karen Wimhurst with all the passion and charm that Mike Maran packs into his performances.‘Mike Maran has the kind of voice that makes you wonder why the whole world isn’t learning to speak with a Scottish accent,’ said The Scotsman of ‘Did You Used to be R.D.Laing?’‘Mike Maran is a mesmeric storyteller,’ said The Stage of ‘Mahler: Song & Dance Man.’Within 10 minutes I know I’m on a winner and by the end of what turns out to be an engrossing, touching and beautifully played piece, even I have a tear in my eye,’ said The Sunday Times of ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.’