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A Kes that fails to take flight

Kes
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds/Touring
3/5

WHEN Barry Hines died in March he was hailed by many as capturing the authentic voice of Yorkshire, a spirit that Robert Alan Evans has stayed true to in his adaptation of the Barnsley author’s most famous work, Kes.

Anyone expecting to see kestrels or an approximation of Ken Loach’s much-loved 1969 film will be disappointed because Evans offers a much more impressionistic version of the story. Performed by just two actors, it follows Billy Casper’s working-class hero with the benefit of nostalgic hindsight.

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