Miss Read Remembered

“Miss Read” is the pen name of Dora Jesse Saint, MBE, and an English author best known for her two series of novels set in the English county side, the Fairacre novels and the Thrush Green novels. 

Ron Perry, The script writer and director of this play, was given permission in 2013 to adapt the Thrush Green novels into a stage play, the result of which was performed to great acclaim in May 2017.

This play was opened with a song which then led into a biography of Miss Read’s life. This was largely delivered by several narrators led by Jill Saint (Miss Read’s daughter) and Ron Perry. It was very well delivered, humorous at times and I found it all fascinating.  Jill and Ron then read out the exchange of correspondence which gave Ron the go ahead to adapt Thrush Green into a stage play.

 This was then followed by a performance of a shortened version of the outstanding 2017 production, which highlighted the story of Mrs Curdles May fair

Even though I saw the original play I was surprise by how much I still enjoyed this smaller version, it was excellent. I also thought that set adapted for this the small venue looked super and was very effective.

 The cast in this play were greatly reduced from the original production, but they certainly put their hearts into their performances. With clever use of a narrator and some cast members playing double roles, the story come over very well and once again I felt Mrs Curdle was outstanding.

It did seem a little odd for this group to repeat a play, all be it an abridged version, within two years of the original. It may not have had the same impact, but it was certainly an excellent way of reminding the patrons of Redlynch player’s how good Ron Perry’s stage adaption of Thrush Green was. It was also great way of advertising their next production in the autumn, “Thrush Green: The Homecoming” which I shall be eagerly looking forward to.

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.