Synopsis
The Middlemarch Trilogy
Geoffrey Beevers from George Eliot
Published by Nick Hern Books
Large Mixed Cast
George Eliot's Middlemarch is peopled with some of literature's most memorable characters
In Geoffrey Beevers' new dramatisation, all three interconnected plays can be performed as a trilogy, but each play can also stand on its own, telling the story of Middlemarch from the perspective of a different set of characters - from county, town and countryside
Dorothea's Story is set among the big houses of the local aristocracy of Middlemarch
Young, intelligent Dorothea is so enamoured of the pedantic Reverend Casaubon that she marries him, much to everyone's disbelief
But her friendship with Casaubon's young cousin Will Ladislaw arouses suspicions in her new husband, who will do anything to thwart their mutual affection
The Doctor's Story is set in the town of Middlemarch itself, where everyone wants to know each other's business
Idealistic Dr Lydgate arrives in Middlemarch determined to achieve great things
He catches the eye of the Mayor's beautiful, self-centred daughter Rosamond but is torn between ambition and loyalty as he is drawn into an alliance with a corrupt banker
The poignant but light-hearted Fred and Mary's Story is set amongst hard-working countryfolk
Fred is trying to please his parents and become a country gentleman
But his childhood sweetheart Mary will have none of it
REVIEWS
"A delight from beginning to end ... One of the most captivating literary adaptations I've ever encountered" ~ Telegraph