Rib ticklingly funny and full of familiar fun.
Like several popular TV comedy series, the hugely successful Blackadder has been adapted for stage, bringing it with it a host of characters and plot lines that audiences fondly remember. In times when stage plays are losing out to high end musicals in the battle to fill seats, it’s a shrewd move on the part of producers who know audiences will be drawn to familiar TV classics.
‘From The Top Theatre Company’ are clearly not afraid of a challenge. Adapting episodes to work coherently on stage, using every inch of a small village hall space, getting the elaborate costumes right, casting characters that fit the very familiar mould… it’s no easy task, but one that is managed with real aplomb.
The series chosen for this adaptation is the second Blackadder, the one set in the Elizabethan times. It’s rich with beautifully drawn characters, delivering lines that all the fans remember and quote to this day. The TV series is a masterclass of Ben Elton’s pinpoint writing, mixed with exquisite portrayals of wonderfully funny characters.
Great writing plus strong casting – it’s a well trodden formula but it works. Look at Dad’s Army. Hi-de-Hi!. The Vicar of Dibley. Gavin and Stacey … the list goes on. It works, of course, beautifully in its intended medium on the small screen but the power of its writing makes it work here, onstage, too.
What a challenge it must be to create a piece of flowing theatre with a story that has a beginning, middle and end adapted from three separate TV episodes. It’s nicely achieved here, moving from plot line to plot line seamlessly and never feeling disjointed. The ‘best bits’ are all incorporated and provide some stand out comedy moments the audience immediately recognise. And then, of course, are the show’s driving force… the characters. Dan Barnes captures Edmund Blackadder’s sense of aloof superiority well, constantly aghast at the stupidity of those around him and humouring his queen to his own benefit.
Dave Crump is a likeable Baldrick, the permanently befuddled manservant with a never ending supply of ‘cunning plans’ that are basically useless. A softer, gentler approach to the role than Tony Robinson’s TV version and one the works well.
Elliot Beech almost steals the show as the Bishop of Bath and Wells, bellowing his lines with vile intention and taking genuine pride in his reputation as a ‘Colossal Pervert’.
Deb Crump gets it just right as Queen Elizabeth I, a woman who ranges from extreme flirtation to sheer boredom in a matter of seconds. One minute hopelessly in love, the next wanting some poor chap’s head lopped off. It’s a lovely and engaging portrayal.
Simon K Baker is appropriately gushing as Lord Percy… a man who would chat up a skunk if it had a skirt on.
Performances are tight throughout the cast. All the favourites are there. Nursey (Jodie Cockeram), Captain Redbeard Rum (Merrion Buck), Walter Raleigh (Matt Collins), Kate/Bob (Eliza del Cisne) and her father (Jon Hall), Lady White Adder (Sarah Corden), Mr Ploppy and Lord White Adder (Richard Pritchett), Mrs Ploppy and Wisewoman (Tina Romane) and Lady Farrow/Mollie (Sasha Barnes). And who could forget the formidable Lord Flasheart, a man in constant search of adventure and something ‘to hang on to’. Elliot Beach wears the curly wig with appropriate vigour.
Sarah Corden also sings the links – a nice touch, reminding us of that Elizabethan style music theme that overtured each episode so nicely.
Rib ticklingly funny and full of familiar fun. Huge credit to the producers for keeping the heart and spirit of such a successful TV classic.
