Chaucer is dead. Well, sort of. So four medieval alchemists attempt to bring the lifeless poet back to life by inviting a group of his best-known pilgrims to tell their tales, as the caped Chaucer watches on from the luxury of the front row, with members of the audience tasked with keeping an eye on him and the cast regularly checking on his wellbeing. Back on stage, the lively Tabard Inn provides the setting for a breathless whirlwind tour through medieval times with a series of energetically raucous tales: religious legends, courtly romances, racy tales, saints’ lives, allegorical tales, beast fables, medieval sermons, and alchemical accounts. With atmospheric lighting, vibrant costumes, and a set which absolutely captures the zeitgeist of the time, the audience is whisked away from the world of the 21st century into the midst of medieval England.
Right from the opening scenes between the charismatic double-act of Jocasta (Will Petersen) and Michelangelo (Monty Membery), the audience is swept along in a rip-roaring roller-coaster of feel-good fun, playful antics, and on-stage participation. Unsuspecting members of the audience suddenly find themselves thrust into the very heart of the action and the image of the whole Auditorium passionately and vociferously chanting “Help! Help! The fox has stolen our cock!” will stay long in the memory.
Each of the tales is very distinct with colourful, flamboyant characters dominating the stage throughout: from the smooth-talking swindler the Pardoner (Ethan Logue) who kicks off proceedings; to Sir Codsbrain (Oscar York) with his opening line, “Hello, ladies! Come here, and I’ll give you a knight to remember!”; to the sassy, bawdy wife of Bath (Hella Camidge) brimming over with attitude and one-liners; to King Arthur (Alex Hinton) as the deliciously eccentric, absent-minded, bumbling buffoon; to the belching, boozy Miller (Thomas Tallis); to the comedy suitors, the suave, charming hero Nicholas (Theo Odhams) and the hapless drip Absolon (Timmy Hatch). The richness and diversity of the characters are a real strength and the talented cast effectively breathes life and personality into these larger-than-life characters.
But the greatest strength of The Canterbury Tales is, undoubtedly, the fact that it never for a second takes itself too seriously; puerile absurdity, cheeky innuendo and slap-stick humour are never far from the surface. A theatre production is not a five-star show without an unintentional comedy smooch with a pair of buttocks, followed up by a red-hot poker planted in the same bodily part, with the odd fart included for good measure. The pilgrims energetically clucking as chickens, comedy chase scenes, the cock-a-doodle-do cock belting out a song, the love scene between the hen and the cock (fertilising some free-range eggs!) or the bedroom scene with Sir Codsbrain and his new bride… it’s simply impossible to pick out just one highlight.
As the toe-tapping ensemble number finally brought the tales to a close, the sustained applause was richly deserved. Rude and lewd, colourful and vibrant, with just the right balance of clowning around and story-telling, if this tour de force couldn’t bring Chaucer back to life then nothing could. And whether the pilgrims succeeded in bring Geoffrey back to life (and, indeed, whether there is a mystery guest appearance at the end), well, that would be telling…
And as the cast belted out at the end, “In fellowship of pilgrims are we all”, indeed, we are… and we are all definitely the better for it.