IT is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a young woman in possession of a small fortune must be in want of a few more sheep and a husband who farms.

At least the novelist Thomas Hardy thought so when he penned one of his best-loved novels, Far from the Madding Crowd.

With an almost Jane Austen-like focus on the trials and tribulations of courtship, Hardy told the tale of the spirited, independent heiress, Bathsheba Everdene, who has three different men all seeking her hand in marriage.

Now a Worcestershire audience has the chance to enjoy a stage version of the Hardy classic.

A spokesman said: "Will she choose to marry for passion, for obligation or for true love and companionship? Or will she value her independence and not marry at all?

"Hardy’s romance is brought to life with live music and Hotbuckle’s trademark ensemble style."

The spokesman added: "Formed by Adrian Preater and Gemma Aston in 2006, Hotbuckle Productions Theatre Company launched with an original production of Adrian's Get Writing with Rosie, an educational play about creative writing, and then toured with a number of original works before Adrian started adapting novels – beginning with Great Expectations. Now based in Shropshire, having moved there from Surrey in 2013, the company continues to go from strength to strength."

The show, which one critic described as "a thoroughly loveable adaptation which is laugh-out-loud funny", comes to The Swan Theatre, Worcester, on May 12.

Tickets on 01905 611427.