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Hobson’s Choice, at the Tynemouth Priory Theatre, was the first play staged there on Percy Street, 50 years ago. In celebration, the same show, repeated this week until the 12 November, curtain up at 7.30, is a testament to the dedication shown by three members of the original cast. The director, Christine Coaster, was then on stage, with Chris Carr, the set designer for 2022 and Tony Hurst, as Doctor MacFarlane, when the theatre opened its doors on 16September 1972.
The Tynemouth Priory Theatre family welcomed four new actors to the stage: Brooke Milburn, Ella Lemon, Laurence Hill, Terry Easton and Adam Swalwell. To the delight of the audience, the welcome from front of house and the light-hearted warmth of the venue, set the mood for this tremendous play by Harold Brighouse.
Hobson’s Choice
A Hobson’s Choice, is a free choice, in which only one thing is actually offered. The formidable character of Maggie Hobson, played by the superb, Rachel Hardy, is more than a foil for the father, the drunkard, Henry Hobson. She appears like some ancient Greek goddess transforming the mortal lives around her inexorably towards the ascendence of the bootmaker, Willie Mossop.
The Victorian class struggle and challenge to patriarchy, the need for equality, from start to finish is just as relevant in 2022, and so ably demonstrated by the entire cast; entertainment, comedy, farce, morality play, please support a local theatre with ambition and burgeoning talent. Here’s, to another 50 years of live theatre in Tynemouth.
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