Widower Henry Hobson runs a successful bootmaker's shop in nineteenth-century Salford. Forcefully attempting to rule his three unruly daughters’ lives, he decrees 'no marriages' to avoid expensive settlements, but eldest daughter, Maggie, rebels, setting her sights on timid yet brilliant bootmaker Mossop, and helping her sisters marry their chosen partners.
Amongst strong ensemble performances, Jon Slingsbury commanded the stage as the chauvinistic yet vulnerable patriarch. Peta Murphy was magnificent as pragmatic Maggie, sharing a first-rate rapport with the equally compelling Richard Moffit (Mossop); Anna Dowsett (Alice) and Chloe Black also entertained as Maggie’s feisty younger sisters.
Martin Gillott’s excellent direction ensured dynamic Northern characterisations, mostly first-rate pace (with the occasional lapse), good Lancashire accents from the main protagonists and great use of the small village-hall stage space. The venue posed some lighting constraints but the effect of the cellar door opening was commendable, as were the lovely period costumes and scenery.
Hobson’s Choice Burdock Valley Players King Edward VII Memorial Hall, Upper Clatford
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