Crowded house at Lytham Hall

The Fylde coast’s open air theatre season made a spectacular start as over 500 people flocked to the first outdoor play of the summer at Lytham Hall.

With £750 worth of tickets sold at the gate on a sunny if cool evening, the attendance figure produced record receipts as Chapterhouse Theatre Company received a rousing ovation for just the third performance in a tour which will take them to 54 venues all over the British Isles.

Chapterhouse’s company manager Aaron Charles who played the role of Mr. Rochester praised the reactions of an attentive Lytham audience.

“We could not have wished for a more perceptive audience in a more glorious setting and we all felt welcomed before and during the play. It was a splendid boost to our confidence as we set out on a very demanding summer tour.”

Julian Wilde, organiser of the four play open air season, is already looking forward to the second play, Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew by Illyria on Sunday July 5.

“This was an exceptional start to the summer season and the hard work put in by a host of Volunteers and Friends of Lytham Hall enabled everything to work well. Many of the audience said that they would certainly be back for another play during the summer. The closeness of the cast makes for a unique atmosphere in an open air performance and that is what the audience like.”

Meg Hargreaves from the Friends of Lytham Hall was impressed by the quality of the adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel by Laura Turner.

“The pace of the play was excellent and I thought that the cast captured the dramatic and poignant turning points as the plot unfolded. Their performance brought out just what a powerful story Jane Eyre is,” she said.

Tickets are already selling very well for the three further plays in the Lytham Hall open air theatre season, The Taming of the Shrew, Iolanthe and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. For details and bookings go to www.lythamhall.co.uk www.illyria.uk.com