If you have never been to a show by theatre company Le Navet Bete before, be warned: you’re in for a rollercoaster of a ride. A cross between physical theatre, panto and circus with a heavy dose of slapstick, additional songs and a script full of excruciating puns, this is a fast-paced, frenetic romp that bares little resemblance to the Arthurian legends but pays a lot of homage to the greats of comedy including Morecambe and Wise, Mr Bean and Monty Python.
On an adaptable set resembling the battlements of a castle, the plot (such as it is) follows the story of three hapless squires who, due to a drunken promise, end up having to put on an impromptu show for King Arthur to celebrate his as yet unsung and non-existent heroic exploits or risk the stocks and probable death.
Of course, they know nothing about acting or putting on a credible show, so have to set about finding characters, learning the skills and making up some legends while fighting their own inabilities and the machinations of the wicked Morgan Le Fey.
We already know how the story ends, as the show opens with all three in the stocks, which allows for a very camp opening song, Queen’s "I Want To Break Free", performed in costumes that leave little to the imagination. And with audience participation in throwing rotten fruit adding to the chaos, it leads to quite an explosive beginning.
After that, it's a veritable romp through a succession of bizarre characters including a seductive Guinevere, a country yokel-type Sir Gawain, a mad Merlin, a cod French Lancelot and Arthur himself played as a petulant teenager.
Nick Bunt, Al Dunn and Matt Freeman got together while still at uni, and their years of working so closely together really shows in their comic timing, their attention to detail and their sheer brilliance at keeping it all together.
With incredibly quick costume changes and well rehearsed timings, the three play all the characters with barely time to breath or recover from pratfalls, scenery mishaps and a riotous script that never pretends to be anything other than completely daft.
The audience on the night I went seemed to love it. But it's not for everybody. It's exhausting to watch as the pace never lets up, and at times it all can get a bit much. And it wasn’t until the second half with the development of the ‘Arthur Fest’ performance that it took on a bit more plot structure.
I did see their show Dracula The Bloody Truth last year, and felt this was sillier and used the source material in a much looser way.
It's also aimed at all ages, but quite a lot of the material is adult, so be aware—although it will probably go over most children’s heads.
But if you love panto, surreal humour, terrible jokes and cartoon capers, this is definitely for you.