HomePossessed

Genre Musical Play

Books and Lyrics by Teresa Howard

Music by Steven Edis 

Director Helen Eastman

Synopsis

Possessed is a musical about the passionate love affair between Jane Burden, wife of the Arts and Crafts designer William Morris (Topsy), and the Pre-Raphaelite artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Gabriel).

As a girl from the backstreets of Oxford Jane Burden's life is transformed when she poses for the Pre-Raphaelite frescoes at the Oxford Union. But it is Topsy who marries her and not Gabriel, the man who first stole her heart. When Gabriel's wife Lizzie, commits suicide he loses the will to paint. Topsy lends Gabriel his wife Jane as a model, hoping that Gabriel's inspiration will return.

Sitting for Gabriel again reawakens their youthful love, letting lose a visceral whirlwind which threatens all their lives. Possessed is a musical which runs the gamut of human emotion with madness, suicide, ghosts, drugs, love, death and art.

Joseph Millson role 

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dates

Workshop performance on 27th April 2008 at Oxford Playhouse 

Links

Official site

Official blog

Oxford workshop performance page