The Hired Man. To 27 September
Salisbury
THE HIRED MAN
by Melvyn Bragg Music and Lyrics by Howard Goodall
Salisbury Playhouse To 27 September 2003
Mons-Weds; 7.30 pm; Thur Sat; 8.00 p.m.
11th, 13th, 18th , 20th, 25th, 27th September at 2.30 pm
Audio description both perfs 25th September.
BSL Signed 24 September
Runs 2 hours 32 minutes One Interval
Tickets 01722 320333:
http://www.salisburyplayhouse.com
Review Mark Courtice: 16th September 2003
It could be a New Labour history lesson set to music.
Melvyn Bragg wrote his novel The Hired Man as a tribute to his grandfather, who was born a Victorian, lived through the First World War and the Depression, and who died as late as 1971. This cloth cap and whippets musical history lesson, made with composer Howard Goodall, covers 1898 to 1921.
We follow the fortunes of Cumbrian John as he moves from the land, down the mines, through war, to some sort of future, but always as a "hired man". John is surrounded by brothers, wife and children, all of whom have to double duty as both people and archetypes for this live history lesson. Most end up as ciphers. This makes caring for them difficult.
Bragg is sentimental about these people; everyone is so nice. There are no baddies here, and you do miss them. Even Joe Young's Jackson who is a farmer's son (and thus of the hiring classes), is heroic and decent, as well as being an impossibly handsome philanderer. The bosses are all off stage - unseen and unheard, unbalancing the show.
Goodall's music relies on soupy tunes, insistent and repeated often. The songs are generally earnest at best and gloomy at worst. Given that Cumbria can be so beautiful, something jolly, something to reflect the beauty would not come amiss.
In this part of history, in this part of England, the contribution of women seems to have been limited to being wives and daughters, making up "snap", picking lettuces and rolling up bandages. I longed for the talented women in this cast to be given more to do.
The whole company has loads of talent, making the most of this stodgy fare in Joanna Read's neat production. Everyone sings well, and strength in depth means that the choral-based score is handled tightly and tunefully.
Sue Houser's grey, layered set matches the mood, reflecting rolling landscape, the sea (Cumbria's mines go under it), and the seams of coal. Dim, careful lighting is all of a piece.
John: Glyn Kerslake
Emily: Josie Walker
Jackson: Joe Young
Isaac: Christopher Holt
Seth: John Gully
Sally: Cheryl Mc Avoy
May: Rosalie Craig
Harry: Nathanael Kelly
Blacklock: Alan Forrester
Pennington: Nicholas Lumley
Dan: David Allard
Josh: David Ashley
Joe Sharp: Mark Cunningham
Landlady: Julie Jupp
Harp: Ruby Aspinall
Harpsichord: Brian Farley
Double Bass: Andy Bargh
Trumpet: Steve Titchener
Director: Joanna Read
Designer:Sue Houser
Lighting: Jim Simmons
Musical Director: Robert Mitchell
Choreography: Samantha Spencer-Lane
2003-09-20 17:02:32