How do you top a cast that includes Hugh Laurie and Stephen
Fry and is led by Rowan Atkinson? Don’t be silly, that’s a trick question. You
can’t. So, what do you do if you want to put on a stage version of one of the
best loved British TV sitcoms of all time, without the original cast? My advice
would be to follow in Zuloo Productions’ footsteps and combine a great deal of
passion with talented actors to imitate the originals as closely as possible.
As the last few notes of that iconic theme tune faded away
and the curtains rose on Saturday’s performance of Blackadder II: The stage
play, the nervous tension of the audience was palpable. Thankfully, that tension
was immediately soothed by the opening scene from Bells, the first episode of the TV series. In this scene Kate
(played faithfully by Deborah Rochfort) declares her intention to disguise herself
as a boy and seek her fortune in London, whilst her father (again competently played
by Jim McGuigan) expresses his preference for her to stay at home and go on the
game. So good was this opener that a delighted (and perhaps a bit relieved)
audience applauded as the lights dimmed and the stage was reset for the
entrance of the character on whom the rest of the performance depended. We were
not disappointed, with a dark beard and sardonic demeanor, Kieran Suchet was
an assured and convincing Edmund Blackadder. However, it was not a completely perfect
imitation and most noticeably missing was Rowan Atkinson’s wonderful
pronunciation of the letter ‘b’. Perhaps it is unfair to expect an actor who
does not suffer from the same speech impediment to be able to reproduce that
memorable comic pronunciation of ‘Bob’, but it does lead me on nicely to the issue
of episode choices.
Bells, Potato and Chains but not Heads, Money or Beer. Bells and chains may seem obvious choices being
the first and last episodes in the original TV series. Certainly ending with Chains worked well for the narrative and
includes some great physical comedy. Potato
is also a favourite of mine so I can’t complain on that score and I would not
have wanted to miss Andy Sears’ sublime Captain Rum. Bells was unfortunately, despite good performances by the actors
involved in that episode, not as strong as the other two. Part of the problem with
this episode was the short scenes with set changes required in between. The set
itself was cunningly designed, simultaneously showing Blackadder’s house and
Queenie’s throne room with an invisible wall in the centre. As Blackadder’s
adventures unfolded, his side of the set revolved revealing new locations such
as Captain Rum’s ship. In Bells the
set seemed to be revolving constantly leaving the audience waiting and this did
interrupt the flow of the performance.
For this reason and for a greater amount of physical comedy involved,
I would have preferred to have seen the show open with Heads (which I believe was
actually intended to be the first episode of the TV series, until it aired when
Bells was chosen instead). A little more interplay between Baldrick (Tony
Carpenter) and Blackadder, which this episode could have provided, would have
been welcome. However, that is my personal preference and I rather think the
fact that I would like to see this cast and crew produce a performance of Heads, (and also Money and Beer) is a
testament to how enjoyable the show was.
A special mention must be given to Queenie (played flawlessly
by Bryony Tebbut) and Lord Percy (Josh Vince). Not only did both performers
completely capture the intonations and gestures of their original counterparts
but, they were so believable that their interactions with the audience in the latter
half of the production, which could have led the performance in a disastrously
panto-like direction, were completely uncontrived, natural and welcome.
Overall, this was a fantastic show. Undoubtedly a loving homage
to the BBC production but equally as enjoyable to someone who has never seen the
shows as to a super-fan. I certainly look forward to seeing what Zuloo
Production’s come up with next.
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