Blackadder II

I was very pleased to be asked by my colleague, Bryan Craven, to cover for him in reviewing the latest production by this talented group – and what an amusing evening I had, revisiting this iconic piece of comedy.

As we know, Blackadder began as a kind of novel situation comedy, written by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, for television – it had a shaky start but then suddenly, audiences began to tune in and the rest is history. The fortunes of the dry Edmund Blackadder and his servant, Baldrick, that we all remember so well is driven by its humour, varying from the politically incorrect to downright silliness. Ben Elton and Richard Curtis have brought together some episodes of the television series for the stage, all in support of Comic Relief.

Cosmopolitan Players have brought this iconic piece to the Carriageworks with strength and vigour. We were transported to Elizabethan England and here we found our well-loved characters – along with Blackadder himself and his idiotic manservant, Baldrick, we had the petulant Queenie, the inappropriate Nursey, the foppish Percy, the humourless Melchett, and a host of carefully crafted characters, all in period costumes, with the wit and humour of the millennium age!  Every actor in this terrific production was a principal in their own right and I could not fault one performance – timing was spot-on, so important in comedy.

The Directors, Jan Morrell and Carolyn Craven, had worked very hard, not only on performances but on the settings – it’s not easy adapting what is, basically, a television programme and making it work for the stage – but it was seamless. Clever use of projections and lighting moved the action forward very well, along with some excellent filming. This is definitely the way forward and avoids actual sets, impossible in this kind of fast-moving production. The stage management team, the unsung heroes, worked efficiently.

Costumes were very authentic - they all fitted their characters well with correct accessories. I must say I was delighted to see that beards, hair and wigs, were all of a high standard – this period can look awkward if not dressed correctly and can detract from performances – but not here, everything worked very well.

I have the highest admiration for this production – well received by an appreciative audience – Blackadder will always be a firm favourite with drama groups, let it always ‘go forth’!

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