A CHANCE to see a classic British comedy in a completely new way is on offer to audiences at South Hill Park this week.
The classic BBC series Blackadder, starring Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie and Tony Robinson, has been painstakingly brought to life onstage for theatre-goers, and the results are nothing short of genius.
Woven seamlessly together by the narrator, Professor Christopher Starkers, played by Peter Andrews, the audience is taken on a trip through time as we meet Blackadder and his faithful accomplices in their various guises.
Depicting scenes from series one’s The Queen of Spain’s Beard; Beer from series two; series three’s Duel and Duality; and Private Plane from series four, fans old and new were delighted with the scope of the production, delivering snippets from each iconic series.
Stepping into the huge shoes of Rowan Atkinson in such an iconic role must be a daunting prospect for any actor, but Adrian McDougall, who takes up the role of Edmund Blackadder, does so with aplomb. Throughout the show, you really could close your eyes and imagine it is Atkinson delivering the lines, McDougall’s performance is that good. His deadpan delivery, withering looks and his cutting one-liners had the audience in stitches throughout.
Of course, it couldn’t be Blackadder without the hapless Baldrick, played perfectly by Ashleigh Wells, by our hero’s side. As dimwitted and downtrodden as Tony Robinson’s original, Wells makes the character lovable, charming and a joy to watch.
Picking up the roles of the Lord Chiswick, Simon Patridge, Prince George and Lieutenant George is David Stacey, who incidentally adapted the series for this production. With an uncanny look of Hugh Laurie about him, he steps into the role perfectly. He takes being thrown around the stage by the Duke of Wellington in act three in his stride, and holds down the nice-but-dim characters effortlessly throughout.
Fans of the late-great Rik Mayall will be delighted to see that his charismatic charmer Lord Flashheart (Alex Harvey-Brown) makes an appearance in act four, bursting through the prison wall complete with all the over-the-top pomp and bravado you would expect, in a move that will leave you crying with laughter.
The entire cast deserves applause as they all take on their roles with precision and a spectacular eye for detail. Gerri Farrell as The Infanta Maria Escalosa is brilliant; Vicky Lawford’s Queenie is uncanny; and Julian Hirst is a force to be reckoned with as The Duke of Wellington, General Melchett, Lord Melchett and the Archbishop.
What impressed me the most about the cast, though, was their ability to keep things together when dealing with minor mishaps. Being the opening night, things were bound to go wrong, especially when you are heavily reliant on sound effects, but every cast member took these mishaps in their stride, keeping in character the entire time and ad-libbing to great effect which kept the audience completely on side.
Credit must also be given to the incredible stage and costume design, which help keep the action flowing and the audience’s heads in the right era. Again, the attention to detail is incredible throughout, and the costumes are of such impeccable design that they wouldn’t look out of place in a museum.
This show could have gone horribly wrong on so many levels. When treating such classic characters, which are held so dearly to so many, you must do so with care, and that is exactly what this production has achieved. By staying true to the series’ roots, and not deviating in any way, what you get is a selfless homage to one of the greatest spectacles of British comedy, which will make you want to rush home and watch all of the Blackadder’s again with a renewed vigour.
Bravo South Hill Park, bravo.
Blackadder is at South Hill Park until Sunday October 15, Tickets are £20.50, with concessions available. To book visit www.southhillpark.org.uk/events/blackadder or call the Box Office on 01344 484123.
