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Poor Man, Rich Man was specially written by Hugh Steadman Williams for the French mime, singer, and actor Michel Orphelin. It is a one-man portrayal of the life of St Francis of Assisi, presented as a twentieth-century contemporary. Through mime, monologue, and seventeen songs — with imaginative visual and sound effects — the production offers a portrayal of St Francis far removed from the traditional stained-glass window figure who spoke to the birds.
The central question it poses is: how would St Francis have expressed his radical message and lifestyle if he had lived in our own day? It shows a man who turned the values of his age upside down, posing a considerable challenge to modern audiences as well. The music was composed by Kathleen Johnson, arranged and directed by John Burrows, and the original production was directed and designed by John Dryden. Poor Man, Rich Man was first performed at the Netherbow Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1979.
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