MOONLIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY
A prominent Shakespearean actor for much of the 1950s and 1960s, Ian Holm had an early starring screen role as David Peters, an obsessive fan of 1930s crooner Al Bowlly. David collects Bowlly memorabilia, publishes a fan-club newsletter, and finds solace in lip-syncing to his records. Through sessions with a psychiatrist, David’s painful past is reopened, leading to a dramatic climax at a meeting of the Al Bowlly Appreciation Society. MOONLIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY is Potter’s earliest exploration of one of his signature motifs: popular culture as a conduit to escape personal trauma. Told non-linearly through flashback and musical numbers, the play most acutely foreshadows THE SINGING DETECTIVE in style and form, and features a remarkably nuanced and sensitive performance from Holm, whose subsequent roles as primarily a character actor rarely offered a showcase for his talents.
A prominent Shakespearean actor for much of the 1950s and 1960s, Ian Holm had an early starring screen role as David Peters, an obsessive fan of 1930s crooner Al Bowlly. David collects Bowlly memorabilia, publishes a fan-club newsletter, and finds solace in lip-syncing to his records. Through sessions with a psychiatrist, David’s painful past is reopened, leading to a dramatic climax at a meeting of the Al Bowlly Appreciation Society. MOONLIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY is Potter’s earliest exploration of one of his signature motifs: popular culture as a conduit to escape personal trauma. Told non-linearly through flashback and musical numbers, the play most acutely foreshadows THE SINGING DETECTIVE in style and form, and features a remarkably nuanced and sensitive performance from Holm, whose subsequent roles as primarily a character actor rarely offered a showcase for his talents.
