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SRFN: Newsletter: Number 25 Winter 1999-2000: The Long Company
All views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily constitute SRFN policy.
The L O N G Company
If you're looking for a different way to celebrate the Millennium, Ryburn 3 Step's Long Company
will be out and about between the New Year and Twelfth Night with one of the best revival Mumming
Plays in the North. The Long Company is a disguised troupe with the players covered by elaborate
headresses and costumes. They make no bones about being a revival company and all the mummers have
researched their own character and selected the best from the various traditional plays around the
country. The result is a very satisfying blend of folk play and seasonal mystery, that carries the
story of the champion who is killed and brought back to life again, without resorting to the elements
of pantomime that are sometimes imported to the detriment of the proceedings. The play is more usual
in the South of England whereas in the North the performances usually take place around Easter.
The costumes of the players are a particularly impressive feature of the play, mixing such inspirations
as the Straw Boys of Fermanagh who process in straw headresses, and the rag and tatters principle of
the Marshfield Paper Boys. The sight of the Doctor in silver strips and Beelzebub in red and black,
striding through the night, brings it all home with an unmistakable frisson of excitement. This year
the proceedings start not on New Years' Day but on January 2nd, with Pete and Sue Coe, Johnny Adams
and Chris Coe, and the Ryburn Regulars usually follow each performance. The past few years have seen
'guests' coming up from other parts of the country, and we expect Derby regulars Keith Hendrick and
Derek Hale will be joined by others again this year.
So if any 'wise men' (or women) from the East would like to come over and join in the fun you would
be more than welcome!
For details of the Long Company and Ryburn 3 Step, please contact either Mary Humphreys on (01422) 825084, or Steve Harrison on (01484) 844055.
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