InYourArea Community

Life at The Little Theatre column: A renewed joy for making plans

Read the latest from the Southport Little Theatre.

Zainab Noor

InYourArea Community, Zainab Noor

— 2 min read
Share
Life at The Little Theatre column: A renewed joy for making plans

Darling Buds of May (picture: SDC)

By Jennifer Corcoran and Andrew Sloman

We are now well into the month of May and things are looking bright. We are cautiously, but surely, coming out of lockdown and finding renewed joy for making plans.

This period in time has made us so aware of the importance of family, community and support. We are appreciating small pleasures and have learned to be resourceful and creative.

This evokes memories of a show we brought to you almost 15-years-ago, the stage adaptation of H.E. Bates The Darling Buds of May.

The name of the novel was taken from the Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”

The Larkin family epitomise this spirit of surviving rough winds, and doing so with relish and panache. The family lives on a farm in Kent and consists of Ma and Pa and initially their six children, although another comes along.  

Despite their modest and varied income, and many mouths to feed, they take pride and joy in what they do have and their bonds are unbreakable.

The first of five books following the family was published in 1958 and then made it’s small screen debut in 1991 with a cast featuring David Jason and Pam Ferris as the Larkins and a newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones as their eldest daughter Mariette.

It was well received and ran for three years. A remake is now in progress featuring Bradley Walsh and Joanna Scanlon.

We brought you the stage adaptation in the autumn of 2006 when Matthew Woodhams directed Les Gomersall and Mandy Findlay in these roles. The play was a hit with our audiences who fondly recalled the show, and in some cases the bygone times.

Peter Forshaw played a wonderful Cedric ‘Charley’ Charlton, the tax collector who visits the farm to try and establish what Pa does, and what he owes. Mariette (Corinna Davies) catches Charley’s eye and despite their differences, the two fall in love and he gives up his life of suits and suspicion to marry her and join the fold.

There are bittersweet moments, but a running theme of hope and love; what more could we ask for?

Darling Buds of May (picture: SDC)

We would love you to plan to come and see us soon, you can head to our website now and book tickets for Andrew Lancel in Swan Song on Monday, July 5 2021.

Keep following our social media for confirmation of booking tickets for Fame the Musical which we are aiming to present from August 24-28 2021.

To keep up to date with news and plans for the Little Theatre in Southport, Merseyside and find out the latest information on when we may be able to open click here or follow on Facebook and Instagram.

You can also see some special lockdown performances and a virtual theatre tour on our new YouTube Channel – search for Southport Little Theatre.

Read more