• The Roses of Eyam

The Roses of Eyam
Tue 4 October to Sat 8 October 1988

5 performances
Hampton Court Theatre, United Kingdom


The Roses of Eyam
by Don Taylor
A remarkable and true story of a village in 1666 stricken with plague through the arrival from London of a box of clothing; of the villagers determination, under the persuasions of the present and former Rectors, to prevent its spread by remaining within the village and containing the desease at the certain risk of their own lives; of the human tragedies and even comedies that ensued; of the idealism and the courage required to live with that idealism.

Review by George Allan for Middlesex Chronicle (October 1988)

Youth Action Theatre accomplished one of those magic moments last week at Hampton Court Theatre in a production of Don Taylor's "The Roses of Eyam" that played for nearly three hours yet seemed over in a trice.

The play tells of the village of Eyam in Derbyshire between August 1665 and October 1666 during which time the population was virtually wiped out by plague, but through an act of heroism the village cut itself off from the outside world to prevent any spread of the pestilence.

The attempt was successful, but at a terrible price, and it is the working out of this awful destiny that is the burden of the play.

As usual with YAT, the cast was huge, but again director Eric Yardley welded them into a coherent whole, so that the little community appeared as such, despite its divisions and factions and despite the inevitable variability of experience of the players.

Among this magnificent array of talent there were some performances that stood out - most emphatically that of Martin Freeman as The Bedlam (or village idiot) who is gifted with second sight although his ramblings are incomprehensible to the villagers, or indeed to the new young Rector, so intelligent, yet so ill-equipped to deal with the human problems facing him.

Freeman was, quite simply, superb - he was touching, funny, sad and visionary, yet always within the context of the character.

As the Rector, Joe Early offered another of his quiet, yet percipient performances, which could rise to tragic heights in his confrontation with his God and extreme nobility and power when dealing with his predecessor the embittered Stanley, magnificently portrayed by David Hannigan.

There were marvellous studies of two old men by Simeone Pickford and Alan Jamieson, a fully rounded portrayal of the Rector's wife by Sarah Renton and a heartbreakingly real young women on the brink of love and life from Janice Dellor - all in a triumphant production.
Cast
Role Name
The BedlamMartin Freeman
Marshall HoweJonny Wheatley
Edward ThornleyRichard Eliot
Elizabeth ThornleyAnneke Sando
Old Issac ThornleyKevin Hayward
Francis ThornleyGeorge Richmond-Scott
William ThornleyAnthony Early
Mary ThornleySarah Clarke
Richard SydallSteve Nicholson
Mrs SydallSonya Nicholson
Emmot SydallJanice Deller
Ellen SydallBecky Parkinson
Sarah SydallSarah Clarke
John SydallWilliam Allen
George FrithGiles Porter
Frances FrithSophie Wilson
Elizabeth FrithNina Harrison
Mary FrithIrena Griffin
Francis FrithJason Buck
Mrs CooperCath Hardy
Edwina CooperMichaela Millard (Key)
Jonathan CooperAndrew Tyrrell
William HancockJonathan Dixon
Mrs HancockLouisa Tagg
Alice TorreChantal Addley
Frances TorreLynn Howes
Edytha TorreRebecca Preston
Thomas TorreNick Butterworth
Old UnwinSimeone Pickford
Andrew MerrilAlan Jamieson
Elizabeth SwanneSharon Lewis
George MowerMark Reynaud
Lydia ChapmanMichaela Millard (Key)
George VicarsNick Butterworth
John WilsonAdam Boland
William MompessonJoe Early
Catherine MompessonSarah Jane Renton
Mompesson Children (A)Jake Fryer
Polly Fryer
Mompesson Children (B)Jonathan Makepeace
Kathryn Makepeace
Thomas StanleyDavid Hannigan
Sir George SavilleAndrew Cole
Rowland TorreSimon Josolyne
Colonel BradshawNick de Kerckhove
Mrs BradshawJenny Keates
A Carter from LondonAnthony Early
Crew
Role Name
DIRECTOREric Yardley
CO-DIRECTORJohn Buckingham
Eleanor Baker
STAGE MANAGERClive Stott
ASSISTANT SMRick de Kerckhove
Andrew Cole
LIGHTINGJean Goodwin
LIGHTING ASSISTANTSarah Hunt
Stephen Bentley
SOUNDWill Eliot
Rachel Clark
WARDROBEEileen Baker
Winsome Weatherstone
Nora Bethell
SET DESIGNERMartin Stonelake
PROPERTIESBronwen Davies
Emma Higginson
COMPOSER & MUSICSteve Nicholson
MUSIC RECORDERRichard Eliot
PROMPTCheryl Godwin
MAKE-UPSian Richards
Denise Jamieson
PROGRAMMESarah Helmy
David Helmy
BOX OFFICEBiddy Osborne

Supporting Material
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