The Ghosts Of Martha Rudd

While we all look back on the enormous turmoil caused by the pandemic with a collective shudder, it’s also
refreshing to witness the ingenuity with which local drama communities still found ways to connect and
ride out this period with theatre of real substance to show for it. The Ghosts of Martha Rudd, is a perfect
example. As we locked down, the Bampton Players set themselves a play-writing competition and here we
are in 2022 witnessing a unique piece of theatre which may never have materialised under normal
circumstances.
The experience of this extraordinary play began as you entered the Riverside Hall. The focal point of the
stage was transformed into an eerie farm kitchen of 1941 with a foreboding rocking chair, rocking away,
minus any obvious occupant. The room was awash with the scratchy gramophone reproduction of the
music of the 1940s including some Glen Miller. Another lovely touch was getting a drink before the show
and being served by a lovely lady dressed as a land girl.
The set was beautifully considered as was the costume, there was clearly a lot of thought and effort in
both. The sound and music was also well considered and nicely arranged although, once or twice, the
dialogue suffered a little in competition with the sound effects!
The play is set in the bitterly cold winter of 1941 and the sounds of a radio play and howling wind can be
heard as the stage is populated with first Emily Dunne, a farm hand and then Joe Rudd.
Martha and Joe Rudd are running the farm while their sons fight in the war, they are assisted by Emily. The
household is then interrupted by the appearance of another two land girls. Sent from town to assist with
little thought for their suitability, it’s hard to say which is more funny and touching – the town girls’ horror
at the reality of a working farm or Martha’s pithy apoplexy at their arrival!
The story explores the background of the farm, the mysterious disappearances of the menfolk of the farm,
the suspicions of young Emily, and the concerning observations of Martha’s sister. Minnie styles herself as
medium and arrives with her infinitely more “seeing” adopted daughter, Enyd. There are some wonderfully
chilling events as books fly from shelves and household objects move by themselves, suggesting the
presence of unquiet spirits trying to communicate with the living.
Emily was played with sensitivity, the actress did well to master the huge amount of dialogue she had. She
had great energy and set a good pace, giving the audience a compass to follow throughout the show. Joe
was amusingly incomprehensible with his farming accent and conveyed a cheery and benevolent
character. The arrival of the new landgirls, Betty and Connie was lovely – each playing a very different
character, but each as unsuited to farm life as the other. Betty had lovely comic timing and one or two of
her lines had the audience in fits.
The appearances of Minnie and Enyd added some lovely drama with their mystical antics, Enyd quietly
having genuinely spooky moment with Minnie’s rather theatrical claims to mysticism!
Each character was beautifully written and added to a lovely tapestry of a farming community. Nick
Clatworthy appears first as something of a village Casanova and, black marketer until you realise he is also
the Vicar! He was played with great relish and humour and was very entertaining to watch. The critic’s
bouquet, however is awarded to Martha Rudd herself. An excellent and heartfelt performance by this
actress, who embodied this irascible but ultimately big-hearted, complex character. Her rendition was  rounded and resonated with anyone who carries all the responsibility but little of the rewards of running a family and business.

The staging of this play was well done, the scene changes were a little hesitant and the cast may want to
consider integrating those into the show, giving the crew appearance of farm hands and perhaps adding
some incidental music – the show had a rich playlist to pick from.
The presence of ghosts often requires the prelude of a funeral – this was delightfully staged, it had a touch
of the Darling Buds of May about it and there was some very funny and beautifully choreographed
slapstick as a procession of villagers attending the wake were duped into holding the tow rope of a crazed
bull!
The final scene of the play brought to mind A Christmas Carol – there was a lovely tableau as the ghosts
finally appeared and it gave the whole story a wonderful conclusion with an elegant, yet believable twist to
the tale.
In all, this was a lovely, entertaining evening and an important and imaginative contribution to keeping the
magic of local theatre alive – congratulations Bampton Players!
Katie Jones
NODA

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.