The Go Between - a review by Pia Howe
West Suffolk editor of Living In Suffolk magazine, Pia Howe, has been raving about Eastern Angles’ latest stage adaptation of L.P. Hartley’s haunting classic, The Go-Between. As part of their Suffolk/Norfolk-wide tour, Pia caught it at the Food Museum in Stowmarket at the weekend and enjoyed this captivating production which explores a long summer of secrets and scandal in rural Norfolk in 1900. It features live music and evocative visuals inspired by Norfolk’s stark and beautiful landscape. Howard Saddler plays young Leo Colston who becomes entangled in a dangerous web of desire and deception. When he is enlisted to deliver secret letters between two forbidden lovers, played by Hilary Greatorex and Jack Solloway, he unwittingly sets in motion events that will echo throughout the rest of his life. Completing the cast is Emily Outred as the formidable Mrs Maudsley and Isaac Franklin, as Leo’s schoolfriend Marcus Maudsley, alongside Sophie Crawford and Jake Ashton-Nelson.
More than 70 years after its publication, L.P. Hartley's classical novel remains one of the great British stories of memory, class, desire and lost innocence.
Pia’s review …
“I thought The Go-Between was brilliant. I was completely drawn into the story from the beginning and found myself totally absorbed in the performance. The outdoor setting at the Food Museum was a perfect backdrop, especially as the light began to fade and the evening set in. It really helped bring the story to life and, for a while, I completely forgot I was sitting outside watching a play.
The whole cast were excellent. Their chemistry and the way they portrayed their characters were wonderful, and they made it very easy to become caught up in the story. With just a simple stage, a few props and sound effects, they created something that completely held my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was genuinely captivated from start to finish. A fabulous evening and a production I would happily recommend."
Tour Dates:
20th August St George’s Theatre, King St, Great Yarmouth, NR30 2PG
22nd August Thorington Theatre, Thorington, Suffolk, IP17 3RB
26th August Seckford Theatre, Burkitt Road, Woodbridge, IP12 4JH
28th- 29th August Norwich Theatre, Stage Two, Theatre Street, Norwich, NR2 1RL
2nd September The Corn Hall, St Nicholas Street, Norfolk, IP22 4LB
3rd September Orford Town Hall, Market Hill, Suffolk, IP12 2NZ
4th - 5th September New Wolsey Theatre, Civic Drive, Ipswich, IP1 2AS
8th September Chelmsford Theatre, Fairfield Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1JG
9th September Southwold Arts Centre, St Edmund's Hall, Cumberland Road, IP18 6JP
For tickets, click here.
