The Hired Man

A stirring,  at times very moving,   interpretation of this rarely performed English masterpiece by Melvyn Bragg and Howard Goodall.    Very well directed by Liz Woolley, one of her best to date, she brought  out the best from the whole company.

Adam Daniels as John, Ross Lowe as Isaac and Michael Daniels as Seth are the Tallentire brothers,  whose story  of rural country life in Cumberland from 1890  to 1920 is told. They brought great pathos and humour to their roles, matched perfectly by  Hayley Martin as Emily, who was totally at ease in the role of young wife to caring mother, a most emotive performance.  Adam Guest was convincing as Jackson with whom she had a failed relationship and Rachel Fenn, as her grown up daughter May brought a sparkle to the production.

There were solid supporting roles from Jack Woolley as  Harry , and Emma Kelvey as Sally, along with good portrayals throughout the company, particularly the large chorus who  gave us some great vocals.  The fine orchestra, simple but very effective set,  and down-to-earth costumes helped to make this a really enjoyable  evening`s entertainment.  It would be good if other societies gave this gem of a musical a shot.

Well done all.

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