Shamefully, I didn't know the full story beforehand although there was nothing surprising about what was portrayed: villainous local squires and farmers, oppressive Hanoverian laws and noble labouring men and women given to bursting tunefully into folk song at the drop of a hat. I obviously wasn't alone in my ignorance because the chap next to me muttered towards the end that they couldn't be proper martyrs if they didn't die. New to me - assuming it to true - was the harsh nature of the life of transportees in Van Diemen's Land and the inadvertent role played by both the Orange Order and the Duke of Cumberland in the men's release. Diligent research in Wikipedia reveals that the Orange Lodges were later accused of plotting to overthrow Queen Victoria and place her uncle on the throne instead. Surely someone should be planning a 19th century version of the unaccountably fashionable Very British Civil War. You can have the idea for a modest royalty (geddit?).
I enjoyed the company's (all two of them) multi-tasking blend of acting and singing although the pantomime elements fell a bit flat. 'The audience is too cerebral' was my neighbour's verdict on that. Cerebral or not, I think they also appreciated the show although the Morning Star's theatre critic was a bit non-committal when I asked her opinion afterwards.
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