The Canterbury Tales is quite a project to undertake, and this production is somewhat ambitious.
One thing that struck me was the conspicuous absence of even a semblance of actual sexuality, a theme that is supposed to be prevalent and even excessive in all of Chaucer’s tales. This is particularly lacking in some of the female roles, where any attempts at supposed seduction are a little naïve.
Hillary Stevens, seen twice in roles of ‘temptation’, is more like a child experimenting with high heels from a dressing up box than an object of obsessive desire. Similarly, Johanna Deveraux’s Wife of Bath was more like a children’s television presenter than a scrumptious harlot. As a whole, the adaptation is good, and the language flows – comprehensive to a modern ear but maintaining an air of restoration.
Having evidently drawn heavily on the recent adaptation by the RSC, this play is a mildly amusing with a few inspired moments. If you like perky theatre, it works.
Kate Antrobus
Dir. Harriet Bradley
Magdalen Gardens, 7.30pm
