Blackadder Goes Forth

Kingsley Players treated us to a hilariously funny production of the already highly comical Blackadder Goes Forth. Based on the original BBC television series, Blackadder Goes Forth (the play) pulls together 4 of the 6 episodes that make up the series; Captain Cook, Corporal Punishment, Private Plane & Goodbyeee. Following Edmund Blackadder and comrades, we see a variety of settings and situations, each becoming more ridiculous as the show goes on.

The set for the production was quite minimal. Two settings always in place stage right and left, one being the dugout and the other HQ. The centre part of the stage was used for various settings, symbolised by different combinations of scenery brought on. Upstage was generally used as the trench, which worked well when the cast were leaving the dugout through the door. While the set was minimal for the most part, the scene changes where additional props/scenery were brought on were rather lengthy. This did have an impact on the overall pace of the production, and a play of this genre needs to keep up the fast pace in my opinion. I feel that some of the set/props could have been pre-set during the previous scenes happening on the other side of the stage.

The aesthetic of the production was generally very good, with close attention being paid to props. A lot of thought has obviously gone into these as they all looked very authentic. Costumes also played a major part in the overall look of the show and helped to set the scenes and establish rank amongst characters for those audience members who may not be familiar with the show.

Cast were well lit throughout the production by a simple lighting plot. I would have liked to see more differentiation of lighting between the different settings laid out on stage, but this is just personal preference. A lot of sound effects were used well throughout, however there were a few missed cues – the cast were able to play these off very well (especially Ian Lancaster as Blackadder) which added to the comedic aspect of the show.

The title role of Blackadder was taken on by Ian Lancaster, who absolutely smashed it out of the park. He managed to make an iconic role his own, not playing a caricature of Rowan Atkinson, but still with a good understanding of the character and great delivery of Blackadder’s well known dry humour. Some of the dialogue has to be delivered very fast for the comedy to land, and Ian managed to perfect this for the most part, despite a few lines getting lost here and there. The comedy timing Ian demonstrated was spot on, especially with the added deadpan delivery. The partnership between Ian as Blackadder and Simon as Baldrick was brilliant.

Simon Hetherington perfectly brought Baldrick to life on stage, sticking very true to Tony Robinson’s portrayal in the TV series, and this worked so well! The facial expressions that Simon gave, along with the dumbstruck looks, were spot on throughout the whole production. He had the audience on side from the get-go as the lovable idiot, consistently in character with impressive comedic timing and physicality. Simon’s reactions to the surrounding scenes were some of the most subtle yet funny moments in the show. An excellent performance – well done, Simon!

The role of George was played by Dan Aynsley. This was a strong performance with such high energy levels throughout. The scene towards the end of the show where George admits he is scared didn’t quite land for me. I feel this could have been played with more emotion to contrast against the ‘larger than life’ character that is shown earlier on to give more progression and growth. There were some inconsistencies at times in the accent from Dan and the over-the-top Etonian aspect to the character, but what did impress me was the delivery of George’s funnier lines. These were performed well and had the audience laughing each and every time.

James Partington performed in the role of Darling, playing the pure frustration with the other characters really well. There were quite a few instances of lines being fumbled and delivered very quietly and quickly, meaning a lot of them were lost and didn’t get the laughs that they deserved. I got the sense that James needed more confidence and conviction in his portrayal of Darling, but this could have been a choice to play the cowardly side of him more at the forefront. A great part of this performance for me was the character development which really came in to play during the final scenes where Darling is sent over the top – there was a lot of raw emotion that the audience could sympathise with.

Dylan White impressed with his spectacular energy levels in the role of Melchett – especially when he was getting angry. He had a great stage presence and gave a convincing portrayal of the character. Matt Bird was also bursting with energy in his performance as Flashart. He really threw himself into the role and gave great comedy timing, both with the delivery of iconic lines and with physicality. Some of the Flashart scenes did feel a little rushed in my opinion, but this was nevertheless a great performance.

I must also give special mention to Neil Silcock for his performance as Baron Von Richtofen. The scenes were few but what they lacked in quantity, Neil more than made up for in comedy. Neil’s stage presence was brilliant and he had the audience in stitches. A great performance!

The cast of 10 all did a great job in bringing these iconic characters to life under the direction of Malcolm Barker. They all did a fantastic job in pulling out the funniest moments to give the audiences a great laugh. That being said, there are a lot of people who are ‘superfans’ of the TV show and know it word for word, which can work against a production like this if some of the most iconic lines are not delivered word for word – which was the case for a handful of scenes in this production. The audience did really love the show though, laughing in all the right places! Some of the cast could have benefited from short pauses after funnier lines, as sometimes the audience were still laughing when they moved on, so the subsequent lines were lost.

Some of the actors seemed to be trying to mimic/impersonate the original characters from the TV series, which did work really well in some cases where they were able to give convincing performances, however I feel others would have landed better if they had put their own spin on the role – much like Ian did as Blackadder.

The standout moment of this production for me was the final scene. This captured perfectly the emotion of the last episode of the TV series. After 4 series of pure comedy and outlandish plot, ‘Goodbyeee’ snapped audiences back to the brutal reality of the ‘Great War’. Millions of men dying because of… well, exactly. Kingsley Players captured this moment perfectly, not only in line with the TV series, but also as a ‘moment’. The addition of the Last Post should bring even the hardiest of audience members to tears as we say that final goodbye to our squad of happy-go-lucky men. The removal of bows at the close of the production further solidified the fact that these men made the ultimate sacrifice for a cause that they themselves did not understand.

As much as the show made us laugh throughout its duration, a testament to the production team for taking what was already a perfect ending and adding another level of respect and memorial to the production. The use of the floorspace for this scene, paired with the image of Flanders Field as a backdrop and the soldiers climbing up on to the stage to symbolise going over the top was simply stunning.

This was a great production from Kingsley Players, with comedy done right. Although certain aspects could have been tightened, it was a very enjoyable evening watching a classic show brought to life on stage. Thank you to Kingsley Players for their invite and I wish them the best of luck with their next production, Ladies Day, to be performed in October.

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