Review: Hobson’s Choice

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Harold Brighouse’s comedy masterpiece, Hobson’s Choice, was first seen in England in April 1916, and is probably best remembered for the 1954 film starring Charles Laughton and John Mills.

The prosperous Salford Bootmaker Henry Hobson, played supremely by Martin Shaw is a widower with three daughters. Set in 1880 at a time when social change is in the air, Hobson is a typical Northern middle class man with rigid Victorian values. When his daughters, who all work in his shop and do all his housework, reach ages when their attitudes become “uppity”, he is at a loss to understand how this could happen. He believes that the two younger girls are too young to be courted but his older daughter is 30, and thus too old to marry! Maybe he is too mean to provide the dowry each needs, despite the fact that they both have gentlemen with good prospects courting them.

The attractive younger daughters, Vickey and Alice, are played beautifully by Gabrielle Dempsey and Florence Hall, whilst Naomi Frederick brings a superb portrayal of the more confident and dominant older sister Maggie. Christopher Timothy, of James Herriot fame, plays the role of Hobson’s friend Jim Heeler, with a lightness of touch which contrasts well with the bombastic main character.

In the cellar beneath the Bootmakers shop, we discover that Bryan Dick, as Willie Mossop, and David Shaw-Parker, as Tubby are ‘slaving’ away making the boots and clogs. Both characters are brilliantly portrayed with Tubby being the long serving but poorly paid clog maker whilst the boot maker is the younger but uneducated and nervous Willie Mossop. When a well to do customer comes back into the shop Hobson assumes that there will be a complaint, only to find that she is there to discover who made her boots and to compliment Willie on the best boots she has ever worn. Joanna McCullum is perfect as the customer, whilst the news is welcomed by the Hobson family but particularly by Maggie. She decides that she will marry the backward Willie and set him up in competition with her father.

The second act, both extremely funny and dramatic, see all three girls married, with husbands Albert and Freddie being played superbly by Mark Donald and Ryan Saunders. Maggie and Willie make a success of their business, and their marriage, but Hobson goes into severe decline, becoming close to bankruptcy, and also alcoholic.

Dr McFarlane, well portrayed by Ken Drury, is summoned and insists that Hobson give up alcohol and his daughter must come to live back at home to look after him. The successful Maggie and Willie thus take over the shop with Hobson as a ‘silent’ partner. Martin Shaw gives a brilliant performance as the lead character, around whom the whole play revolves. He reminds us why he is such a successful performer on Television and in Films.

I strongly suggest that you get hold of tickets while they are available and ensure that you do not miss a first class performance of this masterpiece.

Tickets available from www.trch.co.uk

Review by James Millichip

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