“That reminds me of you and Roger”, said one young woman to another as the interval commenced, “Good that”. Mellows loses his shirt and Constance her dress, but that is as far as it goes. This is a nicely directed version by Gareth Tudor Williams and Nick Lane of his adaption of D H Lawence’s tale of love. The language used by the men covers the sexual aspects of the play as Constance acts with modesty and determination to get what she wants from life. The set by Neil Irish allows the actors to slip from one scene to another with ease and gives authenticity to the time and place on the stage. Tristan Parkes’s music provides the mood.

Sir Clifford Chatterley played by Matthew Thomas returns to Ragley Hall after the first world war confined to a wheel chair and suggests that his wife go off to the south of France to provide him with a son and heir to his estate. His wife resists the invitation until 1925 by which time she has met and become involved with the estate game keeper Oliver Mellows. The young wife Lady Constance Chatterley is played with intuition and chaste modesty by Celia Delaney, who enjoys the pleasure of Mellows’ lap. Oliver Mellows, the estate game keeper is played by Tim Vincent who goes just far enough for the part. The chemistry between the three actors, who take on other parts in the play, gives just the right amount of electricity to their parts to make the young audience appreciate Lawrence’s barrier crushing writing.

Sex with everything is provide for the audience, but it was probably not in the way that they expected it. The actors gave the adaptors interpretation of the manners of the time and what was in Lawence’s head as he wrote the story, but did it work? The audience thought so as they whistled and cheered as the cast took their bows at the end. An interesting night at the theatre. © BA

“Lady Chatterley’s Lover” is in Hull from the 5th of September to the 28th of September, 2002.