Edith - The Lowry

Ivy Corbin as Edith Thompson

THIS is an intriguing story, the deeply thought provoking and engrossing tale of Edith Thompson, one of the last women in this country to be hanged.

Thompson was sent to the gallows for inciting the murder of her husband, Percy. She didn’t carry out what proved to be the fatal stabbing of her controlling and staid spouse.

It was her lover Freddie Bywaters, a decade her junior, who wielded the fatal blow, stabbing Percy in the street after the Thompsons had been for a night at the theatre.

Bywaters claimed it was her love letters to him that spurred him on to do the deed.

The judge allowed the letters to be used in court and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ever since I spent a day as a trainee reporter at court in Sheffield I’ve always been fascinated by the judicial process so this play was grist to the mill for me.

Crowded Room tells the Thompson story in a non sensationalist way that gives the audience the illusion of being part of a real trial. We’re even told to all rise when the judge enters to begin the proceedings.

A largely female cast do a great deal of gender swapping with a mixed amount of success. Ivy Corbin has quite a presence as Edith, looking stunning in an elegant red dress. The decision to place this story in modern times also works, with a set that gives a futuristic feel to proceedings.

When it comes to Edith’s lovelorn missives to Bywaters I don’t think they were really a motivation to murder, just a woman aching for a more exciting existence.

It’s exactly 100 years since the hanging of Edith Thompson and this play is sure to set tongues wagging, as audience drift off into the night or to the car park for their journey home.

Until February 4. Tickets are available from 0343 208 6000 or www.thelowry.com.

Star rating - 3.5 out of 5.

Photo by John Chester Fildes.