As the play progresses there is an over-consumption of alcohol and the cracks start to open up. Amir will feel betrayed by his wife, by his associate Jory and by their friend Isaac and the effect is violent, shocking and destructive.
The situation for Nick Bright (Daniel Lapaine) is pretty desperate. He is a banker who when riding in his boss’s car was kidnapped by an Islamist extremist group. He is being held as a prisoner manacled in a breeze block cell and 10 million dollars is demanded as his ransom. We hear about the beheading fate of a Western journalist and the graphic video they released.
We hear about the precarious life of a musician dependent on patronage and the whims of the German nobility. We hear Bach's acerbic wit and cut to his conducting a choir where we realise he is not just a perfectionist, he has low levels of tolerance. We see he has a bad temper and is stubborn, so will fall out with those he depends on financially and get into petty quarrels. We also appreciate the humour of Bach's witty lines and put downs.