NORTH Country Theatre and the people of Swaledale, Wensleydale and Gudbrandsdalen in Norway presented the 2014 Richmondshire community play.

It was excellent to see a community play performed as intended. The twinning between Vinstra and Richmond began in 1975, and strong links have been forged and maintained ever since. Hundreds of people were connected in some way to make the production come together as a whole.

A community play in every sense, it brought together people, history, folklore, and an awful lot of fun.

Reviews The story involves love, betrayal and deceit, with a wonderful array of visual treats and genuine belly laughs thrown in. Pure entertainment at its best.

Stage management was excellent, each scene change appeared effortless and swift. The costumes, Norwegian singers, the band, the Swaledale sheep and the pigs, were all part of something very special. However, beware The Knitter! A truly amazing creation, larger than life in many ways.

The actors were all great, Mark Cronfield playing Bartle was particularly bold, energetic and projected well in the outdoors, It was a set within a set. The fantastically painted backdrop against the real backdrop of the castle stone gave the performance a presence that no four walls within a theatre would have allowed. It was a sell-out.

Directed and conceived by Nobby Dimon, it is easy to see why North Country Theatre’s performances are so popular. The production was bright, refreshing and in parts completely bonkers.

Amanda Adams