Music and Lyrics by Howard Goodall . Performance date: Tuesday 30 April 2019 The musical version of Melvyn Bragg's novel 'The Hired Man', gets a revival featuring a strikingly talented cast of actor musicians in a production directed by Douglas Rintoul, artistic director at the Queen's Theatre Hornchurch. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. However, I don’t doubt its tangible appeal to a demographic who will be rapturously swept up (as they were on opening night) by a story of Northern hardship in the pastoral past. Messrs Bragg and Goodall's musical first appeared in London's West End back in 1984, winning the presitgeous Novello Award for Best Musical, receiving several Olivier Award nominations and singled-out by several top critics as Best Musical of the year. Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Hull Truck Theatre in association with Oldham Coliseum Theatre present The Hired Man Book by Melvyn Bragg Music and Lyrics by Howard Goodall 27 April 2019 … If there’s one characteristic which has historically defined the North, it’s rural landscapes. The main character John Tallentire, a newly married man is taking part in a hiring fair, which were held bi-annually. Review by Chris Omaweng. Dave Fargnoli: Winning Critic Search has been strange and overwhelming, Sheffield Theatres and Theatre Royal Stratford East among nominees for The Stage Awards 2020, Keeping theatres open not a priority for public, poll suggests, Nica Burns reopens first West End theatre as she declares venues are 'safe', SOLT and UK Theatre issue guidance for venues in Tiers 2 and 3, Full list of theatres receiving Culture Recovery Fund grants in round two, Olivier Awards 2020 reveals performers and broadcast details, Open Door puts audition scheme on hold following drama school racism allegations, Producer Kenny Wax questions Culture Recovery Fund decisions, Full list of performing arts organisations given £1m+ recovery grants, Cameron Mackintosh to tackle lack of diversity in long-running musicals with dedicated workshop.

... Ends May 18, 2019, then touring until June 15. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. However, the play was written in 1969 and feels dated. Men and women travelled for miles to be “hired on”.

Its reputation, then, is well-established as indeed are the credentials of its creators.

An epic and heroic tale of love, betrayal and loyalty, set against a backdrop of English country traditions being swept away as a new century faces the gathering storm of war …. Those occupations at the turn of the twentieth century were defined by extreme hardship, but the first half of the show doesn't really offer much description of just just how difficult the lives of these people really were. The best British musical in 40 years. The first opens with a Hiring Fair, where John is employed by Pennington, a local farmer. Running time 2hrs 30mins. The structure could be more disciplined: there’s too much reliance upon the relentless series of songs to carry the narrative, and some of the sequences would benefit from being shortened.

Cumbria, 1898. The story which underlies this musical is based on Melvyn Bragg's Cumbrian Trilogy and follows the lives of a family and farming community in Cumbria (in the North-West of England) during a period stretching from the 1890s to the 1920s. The Hired Man runs at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch until Saturday 18 May and then tours to Hull Truck Theatre (23 May – 15 June) and Oldham Coliseum Theatre (20 June – 6 July).

The Hired Man – Review Hull Truck Theatre, May 2019. by James Robinson. Invest in The Stage today with a subscription starting at just £3.98, © Copyright The Stage Media Company Limited 2020. It is the production’s design which displays the real creative flourishes. Musical adaptation. Though there have been fairly regular revivals of The Hired Man, productions don't appear quite as often as other major, well-known musicals, which may be a little surprising given the show's distinctive musical landscape. ‘Wonderful, stirring music’ Operetta Research Centre . As time goes by, these same people look to the growing mining industry for more financial rewards, even if the conditions they have to endure turn out to be more perilous. Melvyn Bragg is a well-known broadcaster and author, and Howard Goodall might be better known to some as composer of another musical, Bend it Like Beckham, and much else besides. The Hired Man Company - photo by Mark Sepple.

Bragg wrote it as a homage to his grandfather, and it is an unashamedly nostalgic take on Britain’s rural past. The production exemplifies musicals’ great strength of delivering spectacle, though it would’ve been improved if the ‘off-stage’ cast didn’t sit in view cluttering upstage. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. While it doesn't ultimately justify that… In fact the instruments almost become features in themselves, doubling-up on occasion as other things, including a cello standing-in for a dog! Of course, casts of actor-musicians are fairly commonplace these days, so there's not much uniqueness to be found in the actual make-up of the ensemble itself. Jean Chan’s set features a circular platform in the centre which revolves to suggest John’s ceaseless drive to keep working, in front of vast bucolic backdrops. Book by Melvyn Bragg. Moreover, since the style and nature of the piece is rather different and distinct from other popular musicals, the show has its own particular appeal in terms of the nature of the songs which range from the hauntingly melodic to rousing choruses. Monday, 13 May 2019 NEWS: Landmark revival of Howard Goodall's Musical, 'The Hired Man' comes to Oldham's Coliseum Theatre in June. Dave is a playwright and critic. Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch Reviewed – 30th April 2019 ★★★ “the songs range from rousing ensemble numbers through romantic duets and tortured solos in time-honoured musical theatre fashion” The Hired Man was published in 1969; the first part of Melvyn Bragg’s Cumbrian trilogy. The musical has been refined over time, including a new song, "Day Follows Day", which was introduced for the 2003 revival at the Salisbury Playhouse.

This thin characterisation is one of the features which, as a sceptic of the musical genre, grates against many of its weaknesses. John finds out whil… Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. And, in the second half of the show, we find them hiring themselves out to the army - 'taking the King's shilling' - to leave their native shores and fight in the First World War. Omitting the customary overture, the show plunges straight into the first scene. We use cookies so we can provide you with the best online experience. So if you're a devotee of musical theatre and haven't seen this impressive work before, then it's probably one you'll find irresistible and rewarding given this strong and vital treatment from the ever-capable directorial hands of Douglas Rintoul. The Hired Man is at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, from April 27 to May 18 and then tours to Hull Truck Theatre and Oldham Coliseum Theatre If … While it doesn’t ultimately justify that audacious claim, it nevertheless portrays the socio-historical pressures on the central family with vigour, and evokes the period setting through an intricate design. Click on the banner to find out more. Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Hull Truck Theatre in association with Oldham Coliseum Theatre presentThe Hired ManBook by Melvyn BraggMusic and Lyrics by Howard Goodall27 April 2019 – 18 May 2019 The best British musical in 40 yearsCumbria, 1898.

Related to this Review. • Apr 5, 2019. It features characters John and Emily Tallentire, and two periods in their lives. • This provides rich texture for Melvyn Bragg and Howard Goodall's musical, set in 1898 Cumbria, which the marketing boldly claims to be "The best British musical in 40 years". In the early part of the piece we find farm labourers offering themselves for 'hire' to local farmers. Based on the stirring novel by Melvyn Bragg first published in 1969, The Hired Man was turned into a musical in 1984. Review by Chris Omaweng.