Dramatic story can't fail to grip

THOMAS Hardy's vividly descriptive prose easily conjures up for readers the world his characters inhabit, and film adaptations have the undoubted benefit of location shooting.

A stage production has neither of these things, so in that respect Tony Feltham's directorial debut had the odds stacked against it from the beginning.

I had no complaints with characterisation, as Bathsheba Everdene (Yvonne Henley), her suitors Sergeant Troy (Tom Williams), Mr Boldwood (Dave Williams), Gabriel Oak (Paul Dodman) and those surrounding them came convincingly to life.

However, the bare stage and numerous scenes, with props going on and off, became irritating an distracting. Back-wall slides depicting season and location changes worked well up to a point, but there was never any clear indication of the time span between scenes which would have helped make the story's progress clearer. And there were several occasions when on-stage conversations became all-too private - Gabriel Oak, in particular, seemed loath to share his words with the audience.

Costumes, too, were not always as in period as they should have been, with some rather too beautifully tailored trousers and shiny shoes. And where were Sergeant Troy's army-issue long-johns when he undressed prior to his faked suicide?

But nonetheless I found myself gripped by the dramatic storyline.

LINDA KIRKMAN
Daily Echo