A regal romp through the realm of King Arthur

With the audience invited to “get your latex veg” to throw at three hapless squires imprisoned in the stocks, who then launch into a rendering of I Want To Break Free, the scene is set for a hilarious evening’s entertainment.

Le Navet Bete, based in Exeter, is a physical-comedy company of three: Nick Bunt, Al Dunn and Matt Freeman. They have co-written King Arthur with director John Nicholson.

These three multi-talented actors play the hapless squires Edgar, Osbert and Dave, charged by King Arthur to produce a festival show about the legends of Camelot – or lose their heads!

Their versatility is astounding as they move between roles, gender and costumes with breath-taking speed.

It’s hard to keep track of which actor is playing which character on stage at any given moment, so we just sit back and enjoy the frenetic action. “It’s not Panto”, we’re told. “Oh yes it is!” responds the audience. It’s comedy, slapstick, burlesque, a romp through history and just incredibly funny. The actors seem to be having as good a time as the audience, even when corpsing and ad-libbing.

Fi Russell, as set and costume designer, deserves mention for the incredible amount of work she has done to produce the set of crenellated castle walls on different levels to provide the backdrop for all the action; and also an amazing diverse range of costumes, including an ostrich and a horse.

Jonny Watson, composer and sound designer, had great fun “veering between ridiculous prog-rock, jazz fusion, orchestral score, medieval sitcom segues and re-imagining of Cher”. The music and songs are all part of the action and keep us entertained all the way through – there is something for all generations.

What a brilliant show! We were still smiling – no, grinning – as we came out of the theatre. Don’t miss it!

Read similar reviews HERE