King Arthur – The Lowry

I had never seen a production by the theatre group “Le Navett Bete” before. The theatre group decided on this name- as it loosely translates to “The Daft Turnip” and that being unusual, unique and fun- mirrors this talented theatre group impeccably.

The show was being shown in the more intimate theatre at the Lowry and as we entered, we were met by an impressive backdrop/set of castle turrets, gothic windows, crenelations, scaffolds and towers (great work Fi Russell), and the opening scene of the three squires Edgar,

Osbert and Dave in stocks and singing their woes. The audience (first two rows) had been given.

latex fruit and vegetables to throw at these men and the audience loved it.   As the three released themselves from the stocks – singing “I want to break free” we were invited to the wonderful mayhem that would ensue. As some of the sketches in this show would be “thunder stealers”- I will not be giving too much away – as you need to see the unpredictability and chaos of this show for yourselves. 

We are taken back in time (a week), to discover why theses lovable friends ended up being punished. We learn that the three hapless squires were forced to put together a festival – “Arthurfest” – within a week. For material for this show, the three go on quests, to pursue amazing stories from the – soon to be iconic- local characters of Camelot. From these tales the three hope to turn their immature and lack-lustre king into a legend. 

And so, we meet the array of characters that the amazing trio Osbert (Nick Bunt), Edgar (Al Dunn) and Dave (Matt Freeman) transform into. The characters they ‘become’  Merlin, Guinevere, Lancelot, Gawain, Percival, Morgana and more are unfiltered works of art, and the constant role and costume changes, the non- stop gags and one liners, the effortless timing, the audience participation, the chaotic nonsense of the whole thing was delicious and magical and had every single person in that filled theatre, laughing out loud, applauding madly and enjoying every single second.

The unpredictability of every scene, likened to the genius of ‘Bottom’ (loads of hitting of heads with pans) – I must say that Matt Freeman’s likeness to Ade Edmondson is uncanny , Monty Python (exuberance of nonsense) and Fawlty Towers (sheer exasperation of the cast through their quest) – kept us all at the edge of our seats – what will the oddball three musketeers do next? Throughout the visits to the dwellers of Camelot the costumes were sublime and the set incredible  (fantastic work – Fi Russell) , the music was authentically fitting (well mastered by Jonny Wharton – I loved how you put a medieval slant on modern music played in the interval )and the non-stop interaction of these characters, faultless improvisation and mayhem was brilliantly directed ( exceptional – John Nicholson) – every single person from the set builders, stage managers and  costume makers must be applauded for this amazing achievement.

The three squires lead us through the frenzied mayhem that is “Arthurfest”, giving us all a bonkers view on the history of these characters we all know from the tales of our childhood, which was absolutely delightful. There are many one liners and parts of the show that I want to share with you – but won’t- I do not want you to miss the impact of seeing and hearing these for the first time, but needless to say they will stay with me for a long time.

I never wanted this show to end, I heard others audience members saying how hilarious and clever it was, I saw children (and adults!) waiting excitedly after the show, for Nick, Al and Matt to sign their programmes and to thank them for a wonderful evening of entertainment (I was one!). I found it incredible to learn that this was the first production that the three had worked together on, as they knitted together as though they had worked together their whole lives. 

The great thing was the characters were all loved with equal adoration and non outshone the other- Incredible.    

This show is a masterpiece, and one people of all ages should see. I took my 20-year son with me, and he said it was one of the finniest things he had ever seen – and I had to agree with him. I will certainly be looking out for more “Le Navet Bete” productions in the future.

Reviewer: Jan Mellor

Reviewed: 24th September 2024

North West End UK Rating: