King Arthur - Lichfield Garrick Review

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Fri 09 Feb 2024

King Arthur and the Round Table, Not so much a tale of bravery and chivalry, but more of a slapstick romp crammed with knockabout fun and innuendo. Well, that is the version of the Arthurian legend produced by theatre company Le Navet Bete , who has a wonderful habit of delivering amazing, and often hilarious retellings of literary favourites over the years.

The award-winning funny men, who previously turned their comedic attention to the likes of Count Dracula and The Three Musketeers, have teamed up with leading theatre comedy writer and director John Nicholson to produce a brand new laugh-out-loud show, which was performed at the Lichfield Garrick theatre in Staffordshire on 9 and 10 February.



And, once again, they have achieved their goal with a cast of just three actors, who take on a multitude of roles throughout. Primarily, the main characters are squires Osbert, Edgar and Dave who we find shackled in stocks, with the front row of the Garrick audience invited to pelt them with 'rotten veg'. But it soon transpires that this is the least of their problems, as they are tasked by King Arthur with creating a show dedicated to legendary stories of Camelot - when there aren't any!

But the energetic actors also take on a number of other guises, from Arthur, Queen Guinevere and Merlin to various knights including Gawain. Percival and Lancelot, evil Morgana and her son Mordred, and 'travelling bard' Bill Spollock. It all results in a lot of mayhem and slapstick, including simulated fights, mistaken identity, and innuendo, some of which fortunately goes over the head of the younger members of the audience despite the giggles and laughter.



Needless to say, Osbert, Edgar and Dave successfully produce a show as part of 'Arthurfest', with the main theme being the king's quest to find knights deserving to sit at his round table. Their story within a story takes on a rock musical feel, starting with Arthur pulling his sword, Excalibur, from the stone. It goes on to recount legendary Arthurian tales, from the hilarious appearance of the Lady of the Lake to the likes of Gawain and the Green Knight. It all makes for a fun-filled night at the theatre.

Le Navet Bete are one of the UK's leading touring physical comedy theatre companies having been based in Exeter, Devon, since 2008. They describe their mission as creating and touring 'hilarious, physical and totally accessible' comedy theatre using creative and engaging storytelling for everyone.
For more information visit: [LINK https://lenavetbete.com/https://lenavetbete.com]



For more information about forthcoming shows at the Lichfield Garrick theatre visit: www.lichfieldgarrick.com or call the Box Office on 01543 412121.

#theatre
#comedy
#arts_culture
#family_friendly

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