Flyer
Michael Poulton's new take on Geofrey Chaucer's classic for the Northern Broadsides is a lively, saucy tale bursting with innuendo and ribald humour. Not all of Chaucer's many colourful characters make it into this telling, of course, but enough do to provide an evening of varied entertainment told in typically brash Northern Broadsides fashion with musical accompaniment played by the actors themselves.
After drawing straws, the knight goes first and tells a story of two imprisoned princes who both fall in love with a princess they observe from the window of their jail cell. Turning against each other, they are freed by their captor to fight for the hand of the fair Princess. Next up is the Miller whole tale is that of a carpenter, cuckolded by his wife, but who gets his revenge by means of a red-hot poker. This tale is immediately countered by the Reeve whose story is of a dishonest miller who gets his come-uppance at the hands of two artful students. In the remaining stories, the Pardoner tells about three youths who stumble upon a hoard of gold and come to grief in their greed; the Wife of Bath tells of a young knight who is condemned to death for the rape of a maiden unless he can find the answer to the question of what women want; the Clerk tells a story of an Italian Marquis who marries a peasant girl and tests her devotion by taking their children from her; the Merchant tells a tale of a lecherous old knight who marries a much younger bride and is deceived by her; and the Mancible relates how the crow got it's jet black plumage and raucous call. In between, the Cook and the Monk have their stories rudely cut short, the one because it is too lewd, and the other because it is too boring.
Each of the stories begins and ends as a narrative spoken in verse, and in between gives way to a combination of live action, music, song, clog dancing and even puppetry. Overall, there is a strong emphasis on humour, with some very funny dialogue and action that frequently borders on slapstick. Not for the prudish, nor indeed for the feint-hearted, many of the stories are ribald in the extreme with the characters merrily 'swyving' away just about anywhere, including up a pear tree. The main exception to this rule is the Clerk's tale which is a sympathetic and, indeed, somewhat harrowing tale of a wife's constancy to an insecure and cruel (albeit not intentionally) husband.
With a running time of three hours it is something of an endurance test, but the change of pace to the poignancy of the Clerk's tale kept cleverly till near the end does much to revive any flagging interest and that tender story becomes a highlight of the evening - largely thanks to Rosie Jenkins superbly moving portrayal of the ill-used Grisild. Also worthy of mention were Neil Salvage as the stately Knight, Matthew Rixon as the larger than life Miller, and Rosie again for some divine singing.
Warning - contains sexual references, simulated sex acts and one moment of full female nudity.
Hilarious at times, poignant at others and ribald in the extreme. Overly long but otherwise a lewd, funny and occasionally moving selection of tales from the original classic.
Don Gillan - www.stagebeauty.net
Reproduce this article: This article is Copyright. You may, however, freely reproduce this article in whole or in part provided only that any parts thus reproduced are fairly represented as to their original intent and that the attribution of the author remains attached - ie. "Don Gillan - www.stagebeauty.net"