Townsend Productions’ return to a classic Text

Posted on 31st March 2023

Townsend Productions are so overtly political their polemical shows can be something of a shock to anyone expecting a cosy night at the theatre. Having previously dramatized the Shrewsbury 24, the chain makers of Cradley Heath, the Grunwick strike and the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the retelling of Robert Tressell’s seminal Edwardian novel might seem something of a departure. It’s actually a return to a work that the company first brought to the Corn Hall 10 years ago, albeit Stephen Lowe’s play of the same name. Neil Gore has now returned to Diss, with a solo interpretation of the Tressell’s text, presenting a perspective on the novel that is clearly very personal.

Although Gore used an effective range of theatrical devices to bring his version of The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropist to the stage, much of his presentation was direct to the audience, speaking to us as Frank Owen spoke to his fellow workers. With economy, wit and a judicious use of hats, he would then shift from one character to another, building up a portfolio of robust and distinctive characters with his uncanny, chameleon skills. His caricatures of exploitative capitalists and corrupt councillors were effective, but more effective still were his subtle portraits of the workers, whose myopic world view presumed their rung on the ladder of life is fixed.  

This was a game of two halves, the latter filled with sing along song, and in sharp contrast to the gruelling workload dramatized in the earlier part of the play. I suspect this was deliberate, as the altogether more positive message of hope and expectation filtered through the telling of a grand day out. Gore leaves it to his audience to decide how well founded that hope was, but there were enough contemporary references throughout the show to suggest he feels we still have a long way to go.