Blackadder II

It is always difficult to re-enact an iconic show with such well known characters and it was with some trepidation that I attended this performance.  However, I need not have worried as the actors all did a great job of portraying each character without mimicking them.

Blackadder was very ably played.  Without doing an impression of Rowan Atkinson, he managed to keep the dry humour and sarcasm of the character whilst still making it his own. Likewise, Baldrick had great fun in the role of the downtrodden servant and worked well with Blackadder with a good sense of comic timing between them. Queenie and Nursie were a superb double act.  They transported us straight back to the TV series; not only fabulous at the comedy but really looking the part too. All of the other roles were brought to life by a very talented set of actors who obviously had great fun in portraying these absurd set of characters.

Apart from the acting, another highlight was undoubtedly the costumes. Queenie’s costume was beautiful, as was Nursie’s costume.  The whole team must be congratulated on such a fabulous set of costumes that really enhanced the production and made the cast look like they had just stepped off a movie set.  Similarly, hair and make-up were spot on.The set and props were also excellent with some great attention to detail, most notably Queenie’s throne.

It was a good idea to use separate areas of the stage for the scenes with Queenie down stage right and most of the other action up stage left.  However, the long and numerous set changes really impacted on my enjoyment of the show. Not only did they make this a very long production at nearly 3 hours (including the interval) but every set change stopped the flow of the comedy, which was a real shame. Having set Queenie in a separate area of the stage, her scenes could have been started immediately whilst the set change was being done on the other side of the stage and vice versa.  With lighting on the area where the action is taking place, the audience would have been looking there and not at anyone getting the next scene ready.  The little films shown stage left were nice and a useful tool during scene changes but these were far too frequent unfortunately. With such strong acting, a generic set and no scene changes at all would have been preferable.

Set changes aside, direction by Marc Cox was strong and he really brought the absurdity out of the comedy that made Blackadder such a hit.   Marc must also be commended for stepping in to the role of Lord Percy when one of the actors was unfortunately unable to perform.  He did a superb job in what must have been a nerve wracking situation.

All in all this was a very enjoyable production with plenty of laugh out loud moments and a great cast

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