Conn Artists Theatre Company

Conn Artists Theatre Company present The Four Men by Hilaire Belloc Adapted by Ann Feloy. Directed by Nick Young (RSC & Connaught Theatre).

Follow Sussex’s greatest writer, Hilaire Belloc’s adventures and encounters as he takes a spur of the moment journey on foot across the breadth of Edwardian Sussex, from east to west, with three extraordinary companions at the mystical time of Halloween.

On their four day odyssey, they travel 92 miles and drink 300 pints of beer! They quarrel, laugh and sing as they tell each other tall tales, recount the legends of the Downs, speak of their first loves and meet some remarkable characters along the way!

Ann Feloy’s sparkling adaptation of Hilaire Belloc’s The Four Men’ celebrates a world in part gone but the sights and sounds are still there; the past is forever present to anyone who opens their eyes and ears, and wishes to feel a part of Sussex and the countryside once again.

Belloc, who grew up in Slindon and lived at Shipley from 1907 until his death in 1953, said of the book: “I put my whole heart into writing it and yet no one reads it now“. Conn Artists Theatre Company’s production of The Four Men brings this book to life for a whole new generation to enjoy.

First produced at the Brighton Fringe, this revised stage adaptation, with live music and a cast of five actors, is a cross between Larkrise to Candleford and Three Men in a Boat and includes traditional folk songs alongside famous pieces of classical music by Sussex-inspired composers, Vaughan Williams and Edward Elgar.