Plague

To quote the programme notes -'this is an amazing show about a pandemic that was postponed by a pandemic!' Any qualms about the subject matter were quickly dispelled by the sheer energy, wackiness and talent of this vibrant company. Written by the exceptional duo, James Sidgwick and Robert Sanders, this new musical is just what we needed to entice us back to live theatre. I loved the style of the piece - Monty Python-ish with dollops of zany humour and a brilliant score - combining medieval music with a contemporary feel.

The story was quite simple - the 14th century citizens of Bogfield are oblivious to the approaching dangers of the plague - the village priest (played with gusto by Jason Weightman) and the Head Man (played confidently by Matt Stirk) argue as to how to keep the plague at bay. A farmer and his family, Hob, Malle and Pogdon (Dave Collins, Emily Middleton, Magnus Cameron) with James Preston as the lovelorn Harry Beetroot, are at odds with each other, especially with their fiesty daughter, Lizzie, an excellent characterisation (Sophie Massa) - they grow turnips - there are lots of references to vegetables! To link all the scenes and fill in the story for us, we had a wandering minstrel, Fulk, played with confidence and verve by Steven Vaughan. There were so many clever touches - the 'Black Death' was represented by a mysterious creature (Charlotte Wallis) excellently slithering acrobatically across the stage bringing death to the villagers - I also really enjoyed the 'Scientific Interludes' where two scientists and a farmer gave us some humorous facts about the plague from a modern point of view (Jennifer Winstanley, Adam Folkard and Chris Hall).

Every character was perfectly acted with strong singing voices. I have to mention the sublime Anita Adams as Gundred, the Weird Woman of the Woods, who came up with a magical mixtutre of quite disgusting ingredients to try to cure the plague - I am also glad we, in this pandemic, have not to endure her cocktail!! The ensemble worked very hard and supported confidently the whole performance. The choreography was, as always of the highest standard (Emma Tempest and Donna Wells), who mixed some modern moves with medieval, rollicking dances.

The production was cleverly directed by James Sidgwick, who has a good eye for the outrageous! Robert Sanders, the Musical Director, who composed this wonderful score, had assembled a young enthusiastic orchestra around him. As always with LIDOS's productions, the back-stage crew supported the actors extremely well - good sound, lighting, props, costumes and (dirty!) make-up, under the direction of Ian Thomson, Stage Manager.

Finally, I never thought in all my years involved with theatre, I would applaud such songs as 'Death,death,death' and laugh out loud when Fulk's 'carrot' (Clare Devine) made her startling entrance; but myself and a full-house cheered and clapped throughout the entire production. It has proved that the human spirit will also prevail - 'The Show Has Gone On' - My sincere congratulations to you all.

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