turned dialogue, but noted that the author rather distances the rustic characters, inviting the reader to smile with him at their simplicity. This was something that Hardy himself recognised, and in 1912 he wrote: "In rereading the narrative after a long interval there occurs the inevitable reflection that the realities out of which it was spun were material for another kind of study of this little group of church musicians than is found in the chapters here penned so lightly, even so farcically and flippantly at times. But circumstances would have rendered any aim at a deeper, more essential, more transcendent handling unadvisable at the date of writing." Adaptations Film and TV The story was adapted for a 1929 film, and for a 2005 ITV film (made in Jersey) with Keeley Hawes as Fancy Day and James Murray as Dick Dewy. (A 1918 US film of the same title is unconnected). Stage There have been several stage adaptations, including: a production by Patrick Garland at Salisbury Playhouse which transferred to the West End Vaudeville Theatre in 1978 a production by Helen Davis that toured to a variety of locations in 2009 including Thame, Andover and Street a 2016 production by Jack Shepherd for New Hardy Players in Dorchester a Hammerpuzzle production that played at Gloucester and Cheltenham in 2019/20 References Bibliography External links 1872 British novels Novels by Thomas Hardy Victorian novels Novels about music British novels adapted into films British novels adapted into television shows British novels adapted into plays