REVIEW: Far From the Madding Crowd at the Theatre Royal Windsor

Bringing Far From the Madding Crowd to the stage is quite an undertaking.

Thomas Hardy’s novel encompasses love, disaster, passion, fire, betrayal, storms and an epic landscape.

The Sussex-based Conn Artists (resident company at the Connaught Theatre) have tackled big stories before and bring plenty of welly to the sweeping story.

Five actors play multiple parts, from farmhands to dogs to the key players.

Joshua Davey is the steadfast and strong shepherd Gabriel Oak; James Sygrove plays conscience-free charmer Sergeant Troy and Ross Muir is the handsome, troubled Farmer Boldwood.

Emily Huxte plays loyal Liddy and poor Fanny Robin while Abi Casson Thompson inhabits the role of beautiful, fiercely independent Bathsheba Everdene, the beating heart of the story.

Beating is the word in this production, tables are drummed, instruments appear and song moves the action along through shepherd’s hut and lightning storm. 

It’s heavy with drama and the humorous touches – sacks becoming puppet sheep, knowing looks to the audience, an actor voicing a dog – bring plenty of light relief to the shade.

The set worked well, though a plywoody door with a knocker that looked stuck on was an annoying incongruity.

There were times when it felt a bit episodic, maybe that’s inevitable when there’s a lot of plot and tricky scenes to be covered. I also felt they could have used harmony more often – the singing sounded so full and fantastic when it did come in. But overall the Conn Artists capture Hardy's beloved story with heart and soul.

•  The Theatre Royal Windsor unearthed this information about Thomas Hardy visiting the town as a young apprentice. The author originally trained as an architect and, in 2016, an altar piece Hardy designed was discovered hidden in St Francis’s Church and has now been restored. 

Thomas Hardy altarpiece is returned to its original splendour