Thornbury Arts Festival were indeed fortunate to be included in the West Country tour of ‘Tom Jones’. This slick and polished farce proved a hit with the audience as the Armstrong Hall reverberated with laughter as the twists, turns, and consequences of Tom Jones youthful amorous exploits got him into more and more trouble. The device of multi-role casting gave added interest as we enjoyed four actors interpretations of the protagonist and the dual casting of his conquests and their irate husbands, fathers and so on. As one would expect from ‘would be stars’ of the future, the standard of acting was excellent with wonderfully clear diction for the Somerset dialect and projection from all involved. An added bonus were some delightful musical interludes with talented members of the cast playing quintets on string and wind instruments. There were also some charming 18th Century ballads sung as rounds accompanied by exhilarating Period dance, which were a visual treat as were the detailed costumes and wigs. An ingenious set comprised of three Arcadian tapestries artistically designed, were arranged as a curtained triptych on raised blocks. The central one, concealing a four poster bed was brilliantly lit as from behind a gauze at times.

With no time lost for scene changes, a fast pace for the essential comedy timing was maintained throughout. The versatility and movement of the cast was quite breathtaking, one character perhaps should be mentioned, as the show stealing comedienne in the role of Susan, the inn keepers servant. Another highlight was an unbelievably dextrous sword fight between Tom and Captain Fitzpatrick and an enthrallingly humorous monologue performed by the straying Mrs Harriot Fitzpatrick.

There can be no doubt that this swashbuckling farcical comedy was a great success, as the audience expressed their appreciation at the final curtain.