Rickman Presents Bard's Valentine Concert, 10 Feb

Sir Richard Attenborough and Alan Rickman will join with 20 other prominent actors and musicians this Sunday, 10 February 2002, for a special one-off event, being billed as a "valentine to the world's most famous playwright", at the West End's Old Vic theatre. Presented by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) and EMI Classics, When Love Speaks comprises performances, both sung and recited, of some of William Shakespeare's greatest love sonnets.

The event is hosted by Attenborough, with each scene being introduced by Rickman, who has just won the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best Actor for his performance in Private Lives at the Albery Theatre.

Other actors who will be participating include Fiona Shaw, Peter Bowles, Gemma Jones, Thelma Holt, Robert Lindsay, Richard Briers, Tom Courtenay and Janet McTeer.

They will be joined by musicians such as Des'ree, Keb'mo, Matthew Wadsworth, David Gilmour and, reunited for the first time in many years, former Eurythmics Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox, who will bring the concert to its finale.

The When Love Speaks event coincides with the release this month of the CD itself, in a box set with a specially designed hardback book of Shakespeare's sonnets. The above actors and musicians have all contributed to the CD, which is orchestrated by composer Michael Kamen.

Tickets to the concert cost from £9.50 to £45. For further information, call 020 7369 1722.

- by Terri Paddock

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