Theatre performance goes down a storm at traditional village pub

More than 700 people attended seven performances at The Thomas Lord, in West Meon.

The pub hosted West Meon Theatre (WMT) for a joint production of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.

The production – the third joint venture between the award-winning pub and theatre group – ran every night from June 29 until last night, in the stunning surroundings of the Thomas Lord gardens.

This latest collaboration follows on from the success of WMT’s recent productions The Dark Earth and The Light Sky and A Child’s Christmas in Wales.

Theatre-goers could enjoy a pre-performance supper in the Thomas Lord before the performances were held under the canvas of an ornate Indian style tent.

Diners enjoyed seasonal favourites and dishes created by a creative kitchen team who use many ingredients from the pub’s garden.

Francis Heale, general manager of The Thomas Lord, said: ‘West Meon Theatre has been a highlight on our events calendar for eight years, and we were delighted to see them return for their fantastic performance of The Cherry Orchard.

‘We carefully selected dishes created with ingredients from our kitchen garden to create a pre-theatre supper menu that perfectly complemented the performance, and we received fantastic feedback from all those dining with us this month.

‘For us, it’s so important to support local organisations such as West Meon Theatre and offer our customers something different from their local pub.’

Set in the early 1900s, The Cherry Orchard tells the story of Madame Ranevskaya – a widowed landowner – who returns home insolvent after five years abroad to find that not everything in her life, and the world around, was the way it once was.

Mary Dawson, director of The Cherry Orchard and founder of WMT, said: ‘Chekhov’s last and most performed play is full of humour and poignancy and gives us a glimpse into the slow-rolling change of Russia at the turn of the century.’

WMT is a community theatre group that performs in a variety of venues and spaces including pubs, tents and professional theatres.

For more go to thethomaslord.co.uk or call 01730 829244. For more on the theatre group go to westmeontheatre.co.uk.

The Thomas Lord is owned by The Upham Pub Company, which has 15 pubs and a craft brewery within its portfolio.