Anna Hope playing the courtesan Millwood.
There is still time to catch the Theatre Royal Bury's latest ‘Restoring the Repertoire’ piece which closes on Saturday night. Do try to see it if you can! I expect that there are still tickets available.
On this occasion the Director Colin Blumenau has gone for an older play than usual, the early 18th Century The London Merchant by George Lillo. It proved to be a real cracker! A tale of Seduction, Betrayal and Death , the action takes place in the late Elizabethan or early Jacobean age, and tells the tragic tale of an apprentice seduced from the path of virtue by a courtesan. Lillo’s plays were groundbreaking in that he wished to show that tragedy was not necessarily the preserve of the Great and the Good. Accordingly he set his plots among what at that time passed for the middle classes.
I was not surprised to read afterwards that the piece was a real favourite in Victorian times since although it was melodramatic it was also believable and redolent of ‘true sentiment’.
The play was beautifully dressed and acted. It was played ‘in the round’ (a first for the Theatre Royal)by placing seating on the stage and setting the action in what is normally the Pit. This was very effective, but addressing all sides of the house simultaneously was at times a little challenging for the actors. This is a small quibble however. It was a really world class evening.
