Photo credit: Pamela Raith
‘Lark Rise to Candleford’ perfectly recreates English rural life at the end of the 19th century. This new adaptation by Tamsin Kennard of Flora Thompson’s novels focuses on Laura as she grows up and tries to find her place in the world beyond the confines of the hamlet – Lark Rise. Six talented actor/musicians together with original music and a cleverly composed set provide the audience with a heart-warming, nostalgic but ultimately uplifting experience.
Jessica Temple, as Laura, conveys all the energy and exuberance of youth in the first half of the play. There is plenty of gentle humour – her fear of cows, the so-called long journey of only a few miles to the metropolis of the village of Candleford by horse and cart, her school days and her close relationship and escapades with her brother, Edmund (Alex Wilson), who is also striving to find a future for himself. The idea of knowing your place in this world is seen through her mother’s (Rosalind Steele) disapproval of Laura’s reading.
In the second half Laura starts work in the Candleford Post Office with the unconventional, efficient, and kindly Dorcas Lane, (Rosalind Ford) who is considered ‘odd’ by many. This emphasises the very limited choices open to women at the time and the beginnings of feminism. Her uncle helps broaden her horizons through reading. He is sympathetically played by Christopher Glover who also plays her very different, authoritative father. Characters from the wider world – an Irish labourer far from home, played poignantly by Alex Wilson, and a Brummie journalist, played effectively by Zrey Sholapurkar also open Laura’s eyes to a wider world. Yet nostalgia and strong ties with family and Lark Rise remain.
The set, particularly the backdrop of corn and flowers, is evocative of the rural idyll that is Lark Rise ‘an island on a sea of deep gold.’ The music, also composed by Tamsin Kennard, adds to the rural atmosphere, particularly the joyous foot stomping song ‘The Barley Mow’. The song ‘Nothing dies that was ever loved’ also helps to convey one of the main messages of the play but it falls to Laura to sum up these messages – ‘What remains is the beauty of existence, of having love and being loved and remembering how that felt. The beauty of a life well-lived.’ Words that moved many in the audience to tears.
This is a joint production in association with Hammerpuzzle Theatre Company. It plays until March 14. The production moves to the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick from March 26 to April 18. For tickets click here.
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