One of the liveliest off-Broadway hits in Manhattan last week was a 12th century music-drama with a 20th century box office sparkle. The drama: The Play of Daniel, which used to be performed annually by the students of the Cathedral of Beauvais between 1150 and 1250.
Daniel was traditionally performed in church to celebrate the New Year, but it is really a thinly disguised popular musical play. Its richly colored music was transcribed for the scholarly New York Pro Musica group (which first revived the play last year) from a 13th century manuscript unearthed in the British Museum. With costumes derived...
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