Breathing life into the lost voice of Sidney Keyes
In a quiet but powerful act of remembrance, Finborough Theatre has brought to light the haunting poetry of a voice silenced far too soon. Remember Your Lovers – The Poetry of Sidney Keyes is more than a recital, it is a resurrection.
This digital audio performance, available online from 15 August 2025, is the latest offering from the theatre’s pioneering digital initiative, #FinboroughFrontier, which has continued to reach audiences around the world with stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
At its heart is the poetry of Sidney Keyes, a gifted young writer who, in his mere twenty years of life, managed to produce a body of work that still resonates with raw emotion and lyrical beauty. Born in Dartford, Kent, in May 1922, Keyes was killed in action in Tunisia in 1943, just weeks before his 21st birthday. Yet the maturity and emotional depth of his poetry have endured, particularly his reflections on love, mortality and memory. His two published collections, The Iron Laurel and The Cruel Solstice, cemented his place as one of the most important British poets of the Second World War. The latter won the Hawthornden Prize posthumously.
Remember Your Lovers was devised by Neil McPherson, Finborough’s Artistic Director, who has long championed overlooked voices in British theatre and literature. In this production, McPherson builds a narrative not only of war and loss, but of love unfulfilled, particularly Keyes’s obsessive, unrequited infatuation with the German-Jewish artist Milein Cosman, whose presence lingers like a ghost in many of his poems.
Catherine Harvey directs the piece with a delicate, reverent touch, capturing the intensity and fragility of Keyes’s emotional landscape. Harvey also steps into the role of performer, alongside a rich ensemble cast: the legendary Claire Bloom, whose voice lends a timeless grace to the words; Alexander Knox, Annabel Mullion, Louise Mai Newberry, Will de Renzy‑Martin, Whoopie Van Raam and Neil McPherson himself. Each voice adds texture, clarity and depth, forming a kind of choral remembrance of a poet almost lost to history.
Behind the scenes, Iain Mackness creates an evocative sound world as the production’s sound designer, drawing listeners deep into Keyes’s world of longing and wartime melancholy. Mackness also edited the final audio, in collaboration with Angus Chisholm, who co-recorded and co-edited the piece along with director Catherine Harvey. Erica Miller assisted in direction, ensuring the delicate threads of narrative and emotion remained cohesive throughout.
Produced in association with Rhyme & Reason and Roguegunners Productions, the recital is a testament to the collaborative spirit behind Finborough’s digital frontier. It is not a theatrical spectacle in the traditional sense, but rather, an intimate listening experience. Poetry not performed, but spoken to you, in confidence and quietude.
The title poem, Remember your lovers, stands as a chilling yet tender plea from beyond the grave. In it, Keyes urges the reader, not just soldiers, but all of us, to recall the people who held us with love, even as the world falls away. It is this balance, between passion and resignation, rage and grace, that defines the performance.
With Remember Your Lovers, the Finborough Theatre proves once again that memory is an act of art. That even the quietest voices, when tended to with care, can echo across decades.
Contributors
Poet: Sidney Keyes
Devised by: Neil McPherson
Directed by: Catherine Harvey
Cast:
- Claire Bloom
- Catherine Harvey
- Alexander Knox
- Neil McPherson
- Annabel Mullion
- Louise Mai Newberry
- Will de Renzy‑Martin
- Whoopie Van Raam
Sound Design: Iain Mackness
Recording: Angus Chisholm and Catherine Harvey
Editing: Iain Mackness and Angus Chisholm
Assistant Director: Erica Miller
Produced in Association with: Rhyme & Reason and Roguegunners Productions
For those seeking a deeply personal journey through the emotional wreckage of war, love and youth interrupted, Remember Your Lovers is a must-listen. Available free from 15 August 2025, it’s an offering of remembrance not just for Sidney Keyes, but for all voices silenced before their time.
