In this week of remembrance, The Invitation Theatre Company provided a poignant statement on the sacrifice and waste of war in its production of Howard Goodall’s musical.

Based on the novel by Melvyn Bragg, the piece tells of the struggles of working men in late Victorian England subjected to the dark ritual of the Hiring Ring, when they would gather in the market places of towns and cities to be sized up by employers as to their worthiness for a seasonal contract.

With all the power in the hands of the employers, these events took on a grim significance: men were literally parading for their and their family’s lives and even being hired was no guarantee of decent pay and conditions. These events, and the rise of trade unionism and friendly societies, are told through the experience of John and Emily. We follow them from the plough to the pit to, in John and his son’s case, the trenches of Flanders.

With Goodall’s beautiful music backing such a tale, the players could not fail to move the audience. If there is a hallmark of this young company is it undoubtedly in the energy and commitment they bring to every work they do. They did not disappoint here.

There were fine performances throughout and the chorus was in great voice, but I was particularly struck by Mari Webster as Emily. A portrayal of true working class nobility. Honourable mentions too for Sean Andrews and Will Sexton.

The difficulties this production faced were all of venue. Poor sightlines and inaudible dialogue made it hard to follow an already cut narrative. Having said that, you have to admire the ambition of attempting to stage a musical in the ballroom of The Bear in Devizes, and that it succeeded in large part is down to the vision of director Chris Worthy, Anthony Brown and their team. Although tears should have been the order of the day my chief emotion at the end of The Hired Man was anger. Men who were expendable in peace became expendable in war. We must never forget…