Swallows swooped on the evening air, the sky turned a delicate shade of pink-streaked blue and the vino-quaffing audience shushed each other as trumpets sounded across the lawn.
“Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York” boomed menacing Richard III in his famous opening lines, beside a colourful herbaceous border at Leighton Hall. Is there anything more English and ever so slightly bonkers than risking all to attend an outdoor theatrical performance, especially in the North West? Our summers can be wet, cool and windy and yet still we book our tickets and keep our fingers crossed for a fine night. So just imagine what faith The Festival Players must have to travel all over the UK performing outdoors in all weathers. And on the August evening my son and I went to lovely Leighton Hall to see their all-male production of Richard III, the weather gods smiled on us all.
The gardens of Leighton Hall are a beautiful setting for one of Shakespeare’s most thrilling plays. Its gothic façade and solid greystone tower provide a suitably historic backdrop and the gardens are a brilliant counterpoint to the cunning machinations of one of literature’s greatest Machiavellian villains. Director Michael Dyer explained, “The actual King (Richard III) was almost certainly not as evil as his counterpart in the play but the Bard’s imagination gives us a character of engaging flamboyance in a fast flowing tale that cannot fail to thrill.” This performance had an added realism from Shakespeare’s days – all the characters were played by men, including Queen Margaret, Queen Elizabeth, the Duchess of York and Lady Anne.
“I am determined to prove a villain, and hate the idle pleasure of these days.” David Lee-Jones was a suitably threatening murderer with a charming twist. His knowing glances at the audience kept everyone in on the macabre joke as he used wily words to bend all to his wicked will. As the light dimmed the play became even more atmospheric, with bats swooping low and owls hooting across the fells.
He finally met his come-uppance after a very impressive murder-fest, cutting a swathe through the Plantagenet English monarchy in less than two hours. Leighton Hall had never seen such marvellous mayhem. By the time he was yelling for a horse, a horse on Bosworth Field (aka the lawn) we were all delighted that he was about to meet his match at the hands of Lancastrian Earl of Richmond (Scott Smith). The final words of the play echoed out appropriately across the night-darkened, beautiful grounds,
“Now civil wounds are stopp’d, peace lives again:
That she may long live here, God say Amen!”
Leighton Hall, on the Lancashire – Cumbria border, hosts a number of event throughout the year – one of my favourites is the Classic Car Rally.
From Zoë Dawes:
So enjoyed the evening and teenage son managed to keep up most of the time, which was a big achievement
I used to go to Ludlow Castle and saw some superb performances there but after a few drenchings had not been to an outdoor play for years. So glad I made it to this one, just up the road from us … Leighton Hall is a real must-see for visitors and locals alike.
From suzie reynolds:
Lovely to have your take on the play, Zoe. We’ve enjoyed having the Festival Players here for over twenty years and this year was no exception -they were as good as ever! We were also very grateful to the gods of the weather for smiling on us for those few hours – Shakespeare plus vino quaffing isn’t half as much fun in a downpour!
From Zoë Dawes:
So delighted to be there Suzie; seen the sign on the A6 so often but first time I’ve actually been able to go along. Thoroughly enjoyable eve and fingers crossed next year’s weather and performance will be as good if not better! But then, it’s always a pleasure to visit Leighton Hall – a real gem of quirkilicoius treasures!
From Zoë Dawes:
So delighted to be there Suzie; seen the sign on the A6 so often but first time I’ve actually been able to go along. Thoroughly enjoyable eve and fingers crossed next year’s weather and performance will be as good if not better! But then, it’s always a pleasure to visit Leighton Hall – a real gem of quirkilicious treasures!