Goodnight Mr Tom Junior Play June 21st and 22nd 2017
Tom Oakleys young artist wife Rachael died in childbirth forty years ago. Since then he has become withdrawn and grumpy, barely acknowledging his neighbours. He makes his living as church caretaker and doing odd jobs. It is now 1939 and war is imminent. Everyone must play their part, and Tom has a spare room in his cottage, ideal space for an evacuee whose mother insists he must be billeted on someone connected to a church. Enter East End boy William Beech, shy, illiterate, undernourished and abused. Who would expect this to be the saving of them both?
Twenty-eight girls from the Thirds and Lower Fourths did a terrific job of performing this beautiful story, with all of them on stage throughout, changing roles to move the story between different locations. There were so many strong individual performances, but perhaps special mention should go to Clara Read and Ruth Kirby whose interpretation of the two central characters, Tom and William, was both tender and imaginative. Congratulations all of you!
Mrs Oakley
