The customs, etiquette, feminine gossip and bitchiness of Victorian England will be on full display in the Cotswold village of Blockley later this month when Elizabeth Gaskell’s famous comedy about the imaginary town of Cranford is performed by Blockley Amateur Dramatic Company (BAD Company).
The original story, serialised on television and believed to be based on the Cheshire town of Knutsford, has been adapted for the stage by Martin Coleman. William Wilkinson directs a rehearsal of “Cranford”
“This adaptation is energetic, funny and charming – capturing Victorian domestici-ty at its most colourful and the absurdity of so many social conventions of the day, not least the ever changing bonnets and caps”, said the play’s director William Wilkinson. “Nine dear ladies, with their endless card games, strict visiting hours and good-intentioned busyness, squabble and criticise each other with vig-our, rapidly dispatching any notion of a gentle country life to the dust bin”.
William Wilkinson recently directed the widely appreciated Blockley production of The Children.
Cranford will be performed at St George’s Hall, Block-ley, from Thursday, Octo-ber 31st to Saturday November 2nd, with an ad-ditional matinee perform-ance on the Saturday.
Tickets for the play are available from Blockley Shop
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