FUNNY, romantic and moving outdoor theatre is coming to a venue near you.

The Rude Mechanical Theatre Company is bringing The Commercial Traveller to Abbotsbury, Worth Matravers and Swanage next month.

The play is set in London in 1924.

It tells the story of rich and powerful tycoon and former East End barrow boy, Sir Arthur Cattermole, who is not happy.

His son, Gerald, whom he has spent his hard earned brass on to go to Eton, is in love with the girl next door, the beautiful Isabelle and daughter of hard up doctor, Cornelius Truss.

So he sends Gerald to Africa to look after his cocoa business. The young lovers, of course, are heartbroken. The days pass like falling leaves and after a year no letters have come from Gerald.

Isabelle is convinced he doesn’t love her anymore, or has found someone else, so decides she will become a nun and live in Bexhill-on-Sea. But the widowed doctor’s housekeeper, Elsie, who has virtually mothered Isabelle, has a plan.

She knows a kind, good, gentle man, a commercial traveller, who will marry Isabelle and once married Sir Arthur will have no reason to keep Gerald away. Of course, Isabelle will have none of it at first, but Elsie persuades her mistress to trust her – that this complex knot of impossibilities will be unravelled. She will eventually be happy.

Then shockingly Elsie disappears into the London fog and is apparently found dead. Her devoted husband, Albert, Sir Arthur’s butler, is devastated. A month passes and the commercial traveller, Cecil Cornford, does indeed turn up and marries Isabelle - and then, apparently too late to marry her himself, Gerald returns from Africa incognito. His letters had been intercepted and he does still love her. Albert sets about unpicking the knot and bit by bit it is unravelled.

The Commercial Traveller demonstrates the gritty determination to overcome an apparently unassailable problem through absolute love.

*The Commercial Traveller is at The Square & Compass, Worth Matravers on Thursday June 15, The Abbey House, Abbotsbury on Friday, June 16 and Durlston Country Park, Swanage on Saturday June 24.

It also goes to East Farm, Tarrant Monkton on Wednesday July 12 and Child Okeford Recreation Ground on Saturday July 15.

All performances are at 7.30pmm with picnics from 6pm. Bring your own low backed chairs and suitable clothing for an English summer.

Tickets are available online from therudemechanicaltheatre.co.uk. For more information ring 01323-501260.

CONTACT ME:

t: 01305 830973

e: joanna.davis

@dorsetecho.co.uk

twitter: @DorsetEchoJo