| Gloriously irreverent and wholly accessible |
| This review first appeared in the South Wales Evening Post |
At Mappa Mundi |
| Mappa Mundi- The Canterbury Tales , Taliesin Arts Centre Swansea , April 3, 2006 |
If the Carry On team had been around during the 14th century, there is little doubt that Geoffrey Chaucer would have been writing their scripts. Here was a writer with a finger on the pulse of the common people - and this riotous co-production from Mappa Mundi, Theatr Mwldan and Creu Cymru, directed by Phylip Harries, re-interprets his most famous work for a 21st century audience.The six-strong cast (Lee Mengo, Simon Nehan, Richard Nichols, Keiron Self, Lynne Seymour and Clêr Stephens)clearly revel in their multiple roles, throwing themselves into their performances with gusto and enjoying the chance to spread the gospel according to Chaucer in a gloriously irreverent and wholly accessible manner. Pop culture references abounded, and if the inclusion of a Benny Hill-style chase sequence(complete with the familiar theme tune) seemed a little too obvious this was more than compensated for by a wonderful parody of Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive and some very smart verbal and visual gags. As anyone who has studied Chaucer at school will know, the stories contain elements best described as bawdy, and this is reflected here in an energetic, knockabout style. Fabulously entertaining and enlivened by a combination of cleverly designed sets, lighting effects and an original score by Peter Knight, this is a show which should hopefully attract very large audiences throughout the remainder of its tour. |
Reviewed by: Graham Williams |
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