Synopsis:

The novel, "Mehalah" is set on Mersea Island in Essex at the beginning of the 19th. Century and uses names of people, places and buildings that still exist to-day. It was written by the Reverent Baring-Gould who was the Rector of East Mersea from 1871 - 1881 and is widely regarded as his best novel. When it was published in 1880 he was compared with Emily and Charlotte Bronte, Thomas Hardy and R. D. Blackmore. Public opinion was divided but sales were substantial

The play concentrates on the main theme of the novel: the attempted subjugation of a young girl, Mehalah, by the local land owner, Elijah Rebow, who is determined to force her into a marriage with him. His unrelenting passion for her and her determination to choose her own husband results in a conflict that destroys both of them. The novel has a black, melodramatic end. Elijah is accidentally blinded by Mehalah in her struggle to resist him physically . He decides to murder her and commit suicide himself so, knocking her unconscious, he chains her to himself, rows out into the backwater and scuttles the punt.Such an ending would not only be extremely difficult to stage convincingly but also would result in a despondent audience leaving the theatre with no alleviating glimmer of hope that there could be an alternative ending. Instead, the play has the crippled landlord reduced to total dependency on Mehalah while she , out of remorse for the result of her action, feels compelled to stay with him as his wife. A lifetime of penance would appear to be their fate but there might be a hope that their relationship could change.

I hope this single departure from the path and spirit of the novel is acceptable to existent fans of Baring-Gould of whom there are many.