Jude, Hampstead Theatre

Anyone who studied A level English might be permanently scarred by the tragic denouement of Thomas Hardy’s last finished novel Jude The Obscure. It tells the story of a working-class man with dreams of becoming a scholar but his ambitions are thwarted by dangerous liaisons with women and end up besieged by bigamy, multiple divorces and untimely deaths.

Now the Victorian novel will get a new form and different audience with a contemporary stage interpretation. Howard Brenton’s play Jude, is ‘loosely’ based on Jude The Obscure. It follows the story of Judith Nasrani who is on the brink of being fired as a cleaner for stealing a volume of Euripides. However, her employer’s outrage turns into admiration after she starts spouting translations of the ancient Greek in front of her. This encounter ignites Judith’s fervent desire to study at Oxford, however, this proves to be challenging as her background places hidden barriers in her path.

Perhaps Judith will fare better than Hardy’s hero, but it seems the play has borrowed from the novel to forge a modern tale that comments on the ways in which society struggles to nurture talent.

Isabella Nefar plays Judith and has previously starred in Goats at the Royal Court and the celebrated production of Salomé at the National Theatre. The Hampstead Theatre welcomes the return of Brenton, a giant of British theatre, who, in a career spanning over 50 years, has written critically acclaimed works such as Weapons of Happiness, a play about striking workers in a crisp factory that won the Evening Standard Award for best play in 1976 and the controversial 1980 play The Romans in Britain, which drew parallels between Roman occupation and Britain's involvement with Northern Ireland.

As a master playwright who holds a mirror up to British society, Brenton's new play promises to spark debate about class and education. The world premiere will be the final show that out-going artistic director Edward Hall directs as part of his tenure at the Hampstead Theatre.