SWEET MUSIC

THE LATEST COLLABORATION BETWEEN ALAN BENNETT AND NICHOLAS HYTNER RESULTS IN A MELANCHOLY MEDITATION ON COMMUNITY SPIRIT

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HALLELUJAH! The Choral is a quietly uplifting and surprisingly sombre meditation on community spirit nestled in the kind of resilient, warmhearted town in the north of England that has served Alan Bennett well as a playwright and screenwriter.

The spectre of the Great War looms large over director Nicholas Hytner's latest collaboration with the 91-year-old national treasure, which began on screen in 1994 with The Madness Of King George and has flourished more recently with The History Boys and The Lady In The Van.

Bennett's ear for melodic dialogue is still sharp. When a choir master retires to enlist in the army, one disgruntled tenor snipes: "I hope he puts the wind up the Germans more than he ever did the sopranos."