A SKILFUL stage adaptation of a bittersweet Thomas Hardy story is the next production by the Company of Ten which is also part of the St Albans Festival.
The Day After The Fair, dramatised by Frank Harvey, is being shown at the Abbey Theatre Studio from next Friday, July 1, until Saturday, July 9.
Like so much of Hardy’s work, it is set at a fair where the noise and excitement is heightened by the pulse of a new-fangled steam organ.
An ambitious young barrister on the local legal “circuit” falls for a beautiful servant girl and passion takes its course. But he needs a wife, suitable for his career and London society, and while the girl’s mistress tries to help her protegee, her well-meaning deception has unintended and fateful consequences.
The adaptation is firmly rooted in late Victorian Wessex but it is a drama which still resonates in the 21st century.
Directed by Derek Coe, it features a strong cast of established Company of Ten actors.
Performances start at 8pm and tickets are available from the box office on 01727 857861 or online at www.abbeytheatre.org.uk
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