The day after the Fair

The Day after the Fair

Carlton Players

10th November 2022

It is always a joy to visit Carlton Players, such a joyous welcome from a truly well supported community theatre. As soon as you enter the auditorium, you see one of the best sets I have seen at the Little Theatre, appropriate period furniture delightful costumes plus imaginative direction by the talented Phyllis Brighouse, Carlton Players has a real treat in store.

The play, by Frank Harvey, adapted from Thomas Hardy, is set in the late 1890s the story seems deceptively simple at first. Edith (Lucy Ashdown) is three years married to her brewery-owner husband Arthur Harnham (Gareth Crawshaw), who, at times, seems more interested in his business affairs than his personal life. Arthur has a sister Letty (Christine Smith) who runs their Salisbury house and she is fond of her sister in law and understands her more than Arthur does. There is maid called Sarah (Zoe Porter Howe), a jolly little busybody.

Edith is well educated kind hearted but unhappy, feeling that she has no real purpose; her marriage has not yet brought her the much desired child. To elevate boredom, she brings Anna (Alex Cracknell), a local girl from a rural village, to work for her, promising to teach her to read and write, in order to better herself. Charles is often pompous but is also kindly, and is baffled by his wife’s indifference to him.  As a married couple Gareth and Lucy portray the frustrated desire and separateness of a marriage in trouble extremely well. Good performances here, well done

One May evening, Anna seeks permission to go to the fair on the square, and there she meets the gentlemanly Charles visiting from London, who sweeps her off her feet and into a whirlwind romance. This romance is to be pursued after his return to his London home by the writing of a letter to Anna. Nothing is ever the same, as Anna is iliterate the correspondence can only be accomplished  with Edith’s help. What follows is an intelligent and, at times, humorous exploration of relationships of all kinds, seen through the aspects of all the complexity and rules of late Victorian society and culture.

As the arrangment escalates you feel Edith’s unhappiness as she only experiences love through the writing of the letters to Charles. She is relaying Anna’s feelings for him, while expressing her own need for love and approval.   Anna’s revelation she is pregnant by Charles changes the relationship between the two women. Anna insists that Charles has to visit her as soon as he is able. Edith arranges such a meeting, but is to be with her alone, as she feels the need to question Charles as to the suitability of a village girl marrying an ambitious barrister living in the city of London. Charles Bradford (Dylan James) burst onto the stage with such enthusiasm as the young impetuous barrister in love with this country girl who writes him such beautiful tender letters. As Anna is pregnant he wishes to arrange the wedding for that August.  A charming performance, Dylan. Arthur is delighted supporting the union wholeheartedly, as Anna has innocently informed him that it was Edith who had written the letters for her and how grateful she was.

On the day of the wedding Charles is faced with the shocking truth  that it is Edith the letter writer he is  in love with. His life is turned upside down, now destined to be trapped in a loveless marriage, as Edith is herself. His love turns to hate, as he and Anna leave for London. This is a really tragic conclusion, with the future for the two couples looking bleak.

This production was well cast with some fine individual performances.  Alex Cracknell is Anna and she is a delight as the innocent sometimes thoughtless girl who has fallen madly in love. Christine Smith is adorable as Letty, conveying disapproval, kindness and humour in spades, a lovely performance.

The backstage effects had a few gremlins the evening I attended. Marc Smith was absent for Act 1, so we did not get the full  impact of the fairground music - sanity was regained for Act 2.
 

We were all delighted that the play finally got to the stage as it was all ready to go before Covid hit. 

Congratulations guys on another successful entertaining evening, thank you for my invitation and I will see you all again soon.

 

Joanne Rymer

NODA

District 4

 

 

 

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