Larkrise to Candleford At Theatre By The Lake Keswick Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Jo Hardy

For the first time, Theatre by the Lake have collaborated with Windmill Theatre Newbury, and are also working with Hammerpuzzle Theatre Company to present Larkrise to Candleford, based on the book by Flora Thompson. Some people may remember the story from when it was serialised by the BBC.

The story is based on the life of a girl called Laura, who lives a simple rural life in Larkrise. She loves exploring the countryside with her brother and reading, even though it is discouraged by her mother. One of the funniest scenes was Laura and her classmates reciting the alphabet backwards – they got a round of applause for this.

Laura and her family take a bumpy trip in their horse and cart to visit family in Candleford, where she is shown a more civilised way of life. After returning home, she receives an offer of a job working in the post office in Candleford, which she accepts. This is when we see Laura grow into a more confident young woman.

This is a warm, gentle story about ordinary life and ordinary people – no plot twists, no surprises, just life. I felt completely immersed; the whole thing wrapped around me like a soft, warm blanket.

The cast of six were amazing, most of them playing multiple characters, so it seemed like a much larger group. They also played all the music and sang – the harmonies were just beautiful.

I loved the rustic set design. There was a lot of wood and some lovely displays of dried flowers that were movable. The post office set also had many movable props and so many reminders of how post offices used to be – all the ink stamping of forms and the big book full of stamps. All the scenes were covered in a warm, rosy glow, which created a lovely feeling of nostalgia.

There were times when I thought the story moved too slowly, but then I reminded myself that life did move slowly in those times, and that’s not a bad thing.

I couldn’t figure out where the story was going, at one point I thought there was going to be a love story but didn’t happen and I was disappointed.

Towards the end of the show, I got a bit confused about what was real and what were ghosts of the past – this is probably because I’m not familiar with the story.

If you ever get frustrated with modern life, this show is the perfect antidote – a reminder to take time to appreciate the simple things and value the people in our lives.

Rating: 4/5

Larkrise to Candleford is showing at Theatre by the Lake 26th March to 18th April, the show runs for 2 hours 10 minutes including an interval, ticket prices start at £12.

Tickets are available from the theatre website theatrebythelake.com or calling the box office on 01768774411.