Oliver Bashford returns from the First World War crippled, facially disfigured, and hopeless about his future. Unable to face the high-society lifestyle he once enjoyed, he hides himself in the countryside where he encounters a lonely, seemingly unattractive local girl, Laura Pennington. Forced to protect himself from the interference of his social-climbing parents, he proposes marriage, although neither loves the other. The reluctant couple, however, fall under the spell of Murray Hillgrove, a neighbour blinded in the war whose optimism and belief in the power of love instigates an extraordinary, perhaps even magical, change in the couple. With his encouragement, Oliver and Laura do fall in love and, as they do undergo a mysterious and inexplicable transformation. But can this fragile and private enchantment survive the cruel scrutiny of sceptical outsiders? Performance length: Approx 2 hours| 14 Apr 09 to 9 May 09 | Finborough Inner London, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive |
