A very English legend, that of King Arthur's rise and fall, is this week
being brought to life by the Scottish Touring Consortium, who convincingly
prove that you don't need sophistication and expensive props to engage
the imagination of children: the contents of a kitchen cupboard and a
good yarn will do.
The production opens with Andy, the story-teller in chief and straight
man, phoning his friend Iain, the comic half of the duo, to ask him if
he will help him tell the story of Arthur at the Playhouse. This is a
request which entails Iain being instructed to bring sixteen boxes of
cornflakes with him. The boxes have cut out figures of the knights of
the round table on the back, they are packets from when Andy and Iain
were wee lads and emphasise how this tale of bravery and foolishness has
lasting appeal, and you don't have to be English to enjoy it.
In this version of the tale we start with Uther Pendragon, the Warrior
King, killing the King of the Southwest and taking his enemy's wife as
his. The son born barely nine months after they marry is Arthur. The birth
of an heir to Uther's throne throws Morgana, teenage daughter of the King
of the Southwest, into a fury and she leaves to slowly plot her revenge.
Reference to Morgana, is always followed by Iain's sinister refrain telling
us victory comes to those that wait.
Arthur is entrusted to Merlin by Uther until the day of reckoning when
all the young kings with a claim on the throne of England come together
to try to withdrew the sword Excalibur from the stone. As we all know
Arthur is the one who succeeds.
The one hour forty five minutes of the performance is too short to tell
us about any of Arthur's successes. He is no sooner King than we learn
that Merlin has foreseen his downfall and we follow the story of what
happens to those who don't listen to those who are older and wiser. Mordred,
Morgana's son, initially insinuates himself into Arthur's affections,
while Morgana herself weaves her evil into Lancelot's and Guinevere's
dreams making them believe they have betrayed the King. When Lancelot
is out of the way, Mordred challenges Arthur for the throne. The climax
this brings to the story is gripping, as the characters of Arthur, Lancelot
and Mordred - symbolised by masks (made no doubt from Cornflakes boxes)
on candlesticks - are moved around the round table like pieces in the
endgame of chess.
The mixture of the comic - including audience participation with sound
effects - and the dramatic make this excellent entertainment for children
and adults alike. The basic props of Cornflakes boxes, tea-lites, candle
sticks and pieces of material add to this imaginative production and allow
you to enjoy the story-tellers' art.
Andy and Iain are ably assisted by the sound-effects-man-come-pianist,
and live group of female musicians, who add atmosphere, and in the case
of the latter also sophistication to the proceedings. As the storytellers
point out repeatedly, this isn't the only tale of King Arthur, the variations
are countless. However, it is a good wee story.
Jackie Walkden, 3.3.4
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