The action is set in the village of Mellstock in the 1860s

The action takes place through the seasons of the year:-
Scenes 1, 2 & 3 are in Winter
Scenes 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 are in Spring
Scene 9 is in Summer
Scenes 10, 11 & 12 are in Autumn
Scene 13 is in the following May

Programme Notes

I have long thought Thomas Hardy's "Under The Greenwood Tree" was a natural subject for a musical. His sunniest novel, it was always his favourite, perhaps because it drew on his own youthful experiences, growing up in a Dorsetshire village. Music is an essential ingredient in the story, which is in part a simple love tale; but it is also about the conflict between the village "Quire" of instrumentalists, who led the hymns in church, and the Parson who wants to replace them by an organ. (The reverse of what is happening in many churches today!)

Hardy's own family had been leading lights in just such a quire. he himself played the violin at country dances, before he left the village to make his way in the world, and was always very fond of dancing. The simple rustic characters of his book share this pleasure. But it would be a mistake to think of them as simple-minded people. Even Tommy Leaf, the village idiot, is not quite as simple as he would have folk believe; while our innocently coquettish heroine, Fancy, educated above her station, is really quite complex. It is her return to the village which sparks off both strands of the story - which is why I gave her name to this musical version.

In our production, we have tried to bring to life this everyday story of 19th century country folk, with all the natural gusto of the age. We hope, while you are here, that you too, can FANCY yourself living "Under The Greenwood Tree"...

L.N.H. November 1992