Thespian inspirations for the electroharp! 

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October 18, 2021

The Camac electroharp’s portability and limitless, amplified possibilities make it a perfect stage harp – and it’s currently part of some fantastic pieces of theatre. 

Llinos Daniel, Sir Ian McKellen

In the hands of Llinos Daniel, a baby blue has been sharing the stage with none other than Sir Ian McKellen in Sean Mathias’s new production of Hamlet. The age- and gender-blind production has been a British theatrical sensation, set in a bleak industrial Elsinore, with the 82-year-old McKellen as the 30-year-old Prince. 

Llinos, actor and musician, already had a Camac Baby Blue and contacted us about customising a harness so the harp could join the Players in Act II. This play-within-a-play is a key scene, tying into Hamlet’s preoccupations with performance and show, and questions of madness as reality is revealed as fragile and slippery. Adam Cork’s score makes the most of the electroharp’s possibilities, with sustain and effects throughout the dramatic soundscape.  “It’s a pop of life and colour when we arrive”, says Llinos, “although I’m also one of the gravediggers, later on.” 

Richard Hanna

On the other side of the Atlantic, Richard Hanna has created Melody Moore, a one-man show about the Irish poet and singer, Thomas Moore (1779 – 1852). He’s customised his dark green DHC 32 with decorations inspired by John Egan’s harp in the Salvi Collection, and takes his audience on a journey – comic and serious by turns – into Moore’s fascinating life and times. This portrayal includes the performance of 11 of Moore’s most famous songs, also layered with contemporary effects.