On a trip to Florence with her fussy cousin as a chaperone, Lucy Honeychurch encounters the Emersons – a working-class father and son who challenge her to look at the world anew. Passion blossoms in a sea of violets and Lucy’s world is turned upside-down. Returning to England, where society’s expectations close in on her, Lucy has to decide what her life is going to be.
More than a romantic love story, Forster’s ingenious comedy is a study in class and social values. Bodkin Theatre Company have reimagined this favourite classic with their trademark wit and humour, bringing alive an array of colourful characters who at once amuse and confound us. Pompous clergymen, entrenched upper middle-class gentlefolk, and boisterous uncontrollable youngsters – all of them invite us to witness their follies, but in the end Forster’s sense of humanity demands that we laugh with warmth and compassion.
