The story of a lifetime in 90 minutes.
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd.
Based on the lives of the writer’s own grandparents who lived for their whole lives in a small Yorkshire mining village, it tells the story of their 40-year marriage, warts and all.
Told in reverse we meet Jack and Liz in their sixties not long before their deaths and the play ends as Jack asks Liz out for the first time. Over the 40 years, we see the trials and tribulations of an ordinary working-class couple living their lives the best way they can.
On a simple set consisting of old tables and chairs, a bookcase and a couple of clothes horses. It’s all a bit mundane and routine but this has been their lives for the past 40 years. Nothing much happens but we’re soon drawn into their story.
Underlying the gentleness is the terrible hardships and deprivations Jack went through as a miner and his politics are soon made clear – this is the working man’s lot that he has to endure in order to put a roof over his family’s head and food on the table. Jack certainly isn’t happy, and we soon find out that the title is ironic. However, underneath that hard, angry Yorkshire exterior, he’s a poet and spends his time writing poems which he loves reading aloud to Liz. He may be a hard nut on the outside, but it seems there’s something softer on the inside.
Apart from Liz and Jack, the actors also play a number of other parts.
The story is told as if it was a book with the actors reading out chapter titles and page numbers and breaking the fourth wall, letting the audience know exactly where they are in time.
You may UNSUBSCRIBE at ANY time via the link contained in every email we send out.
© 1960 - 2025 Barn Theatre Trust Limited, Barn Close, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL8 6ST
Company Limited by Guarantee, Registered in London, No. 1604619 | Registered charity No. 284143
Privacy & Cookie Policy | Website designed, hosted and maintained by ZIC Media Limited
Do you have a question? Do you need help?
Feel free to contact us and we’ll be more than happy to answer your questions.
If you need to contact a specific department eg. Box Office, please select it from the dropdown list.
At the Barn we are committed to promoting equality and challenging discrimination in all its forms. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment for all members of the cast and creative team, regardless of their race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity and will work to prevent any form of discrimination or harassment within our organisation.
