Including Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure, with a musical programme of shimmering beauty by Orchestra of the Swan’s Artistic Director, David Le Page featuring a Mellstock folk band style, that combines West Gallery music with Holst, Warlock and contemporary folk.
Anton Lesser and Lucia Bonbright bring a hugely varied cast to dazzling life: from Hardy, his mother, Jemima and his wives, Emma and Florence, to George Bernard Shaw, and Virginia Woolf, along with the immortal characters from his novels. The show also highlights Hardy’s humour (often overlooked!), his modernity, the astonishing time-span he lived through, and his global reach, from Hollywood to Japan.
Anton Lesser says: ‘Words and Music is a kind of unique genre, neither pure reading, nor acting, but with an immediacy that comes from the huge emotional impact the music has upon the words, and vice versa, and the interplay we as actors enjoy with the musicians on-stage. Quite simply, it’s the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done!’
Adapted by Deirdre Shields and produced by Hambletts, Hardy’s extraordinary writing shines bright as ever.
Beautiful Thread is at Warwick Hall on Sunday 26 January 2025 at 3pm. Tickets cost £30 and £10 for under 18s and are available at bridgehousetheatre.co.uk.