Guildford Shakespeare Company (GSC) are currently performing their fourth production of the year this autumn with a deeply thrilling and raucous rendition of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The play runs from October 23 to November 11 and is set in the atmospheric St Mary’s Church which is designed excellently by Dora Schweitzer to make the audience feel like they are sitting in an authentic medieval building. Chaucer wrote his pilgrim’s tales at the end of the 14th century and over 600 years later, seven of them are brought back to life for you in an amusing and rambunctious fashion.
Obviously, you will have noted that The Canterbury Tales are not a work of Shakespeare, but this is part of GSC’s expansion and development. However, the first of the seven tales recounted as part of this stage production, ‘The Knight’s Tale’ was borrowed by the Bard himself for his 1613 play ‘The Two Noble Kinsmen’- a tenuous link, but one all the same!
The five multi-talented cast members will take you on a whirlwind tour of medieval Britain, bringing to life a combination of flatulent monks, bawdy wives, beautiful maidens and swindling merchants. The seven tales take on a variety of formats; there is original verse, slapstick comedy, a musical account, a contemporary twist and a portion of tragedy. In an unorthodox production featuring puppetry, enchanting story-telling and a feast of live music and song, the GSC will have you wincing, smirking, blushing and clapping.
“Beautiful story-telling, inventive use of a distinctive venue, an audience-centred experience and a fresh and dutiful approach to a well-loved classic” – Sarah & Matt, Joint Artistic & Executive Producers describe in the program notes what they are trying to achieve with this production of The Canterbury Tales.
The show opens with the ensemble introducing themselves and with a cleverly choreographed scene, they give a five minute account of all the characters that are going to appear throughout the rest of the play. The pace is set and does not relent throughout, with swift costume changes a constant, just like the boundless energy of the cast who jump onto the central stage at every opportunity and then slink back in amongst the audience. Each is then seen popping up in different parts of the church (with the aid of lighting designer Will Evans) at various points. Abigail Anderson should certainly be proud of her efforts directing such a complex production, as should the afore mentioned Dora Schweitzer for her Theatre-in-the-Round design that also incorporated an overlooking balcony and the pulpit.
Schweitzer must also take credit for the simple but effective costume design that provides the cast with apparatus that is both easy to use and catching on the eye. However, it is the efforts of cast members Philip Benjamin, Bea Holland, Matt Pinches, Lauren Silver and Ben Tolley that really bring the show to life. They act, they sing and they play an enormous array of instruments from piano to violin to ukulele to flute, all under the musical direction of Mary McAdam. Their enthusiasm is contagious, their enjoyment in performing obvious and their interaction with the crowd persistent- determined to get audience members involved at every opportunity.
There is nothing in the rulebook that states that theatre has to be elitist and performed by actors to a crowd, so sometimes it is refreshing to be part of a performance instead of just being a spectator. There is belching and trumping, cussing, innuendo and even some skin as the GSC bring you a taste of the medieval in their own interpretation. Its brilliantly enjoyable for anyone with an open mind, magnificently set in St Mary’s and performed, as you would expect from the Guildford Shakespeare Company, with consummate professionalism and expertise- a must watch!
James Martin