THROW away all of your preconceived ideas about musicals, The Hired Man is a powerful and moving account of private lives played out against the greater historical backdrop of industrialisation and the First World War.

Opening in Cumbria at the turn of the twentieth century, The Hired Man charts the lives of Emily and John Tallentire, through song, using talented actor-musicians to interweave music and action.

Local girl Amy Nuttall plays the feisty Emily Tallentire who is gradually worn down by grey sadness.

Returning face Kieran Hill, also seen at the Octagon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Comedians, dominates the stage as the brooding man of the soil, while John Cusworth is Jackson Pennington, his emotionally reckless rival for Emily’s affections.

But the simple love triangle is given a heart-wrenching twist as Jackson, John, John’s brothers and the couple’s son Harry march off to fight the Germans.

Inevitably not all return alive, and the unsentimental portrayal of the needless waste of life sends a strong message about war that could well be heeded today.

If the trio of Hill, Nuttall and Cusworth form the tangled private heart of the story, the play would not be so satisfying without an excellent supporting cast.

David Ricardo-Pearce is charming as the fancy-free Isaac Tallentire, while Tobias Beer is a far more serious prospect as the potential Union leader Seth Tallentire.

Barbara Hockaday adds a welcome lightness as John and Emily’s daughter may, and all three are fine examples of the actor-musicians who so deftly balance dramatic performances with musical excellence.

The community chorus add an extra dimension to the play, bolstering the vocal parts with complex multi-layered harmonies that are worthy of any professional chorus.

To look for a moral to the tale is difficult. On the one hand it seems that to try and better yourself is pointless, life is long and hard and must be endured.

On the other, The Hired Man is a message about love and hope, and a warning to express your feelings before it is too late, and not to treat love lightly or with contempt.

Until July 3.