Details

Intense sensual story of Tess and the two men who love her. Tess is a pure and natural innocent. Her mother longs for her to make a well connected marriage and her drunken father hopes for a change of his fortunes. Tess is thrown to her fate in a society that will condemn her outright when she is taken advantage of. Too late she finds true love - and, with heart-rending inevitability, she is led to her downfall. Classic Reaction's production, in which music and humour throw the action into sharp focus, is an intensely moving portrayal of the downfall of an innocent. The story of the beautiful Tess is one of personal tragedy, yet it also explores the very nature of human existence. Hardy himself was fascinated by Greek tragedy and the tone and structure of this remarkable production uses many of the elements of the Greek form to establish the darkness and inevitability which is at the core of Hardy's original work.

Cast/Performers

John Macneill, Joseph Murray, Emily Norman, Annie Wensak, Natalie Wright

Creatives/Company

Book by: Thomas Hardy
Adapted by: Michael Fry
Music: Anthony Feldman
Company: Classic Reaction
Director(s): Michael Fry, Abigail Anderson, Richard Healey (music), Celia Henebury, Ben Hicks
Design: Adam Crosthwaite