At the preview for this production of the Arthurian and chivalric epic Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, director Jonny Sell insisted his work was “simple”. However, I soon discovered that this unusual combination of puppets, medieval costume and singing all in one was, in fact, anything but.
As an ardent medievalist, I was especially excited about this production, but worried that it might be too niche. However, Sellin’s creativity and enthusiasm promise to alleviate these worries. The production features hand-made puppets, which were still in progress when I saw them, but they should cut an impressive presence in the O’Reilly theatre. The dominant green head of the eponymous ‘Green Knight’ is particularly impressive and ‘Tarquin’ – as the cast have named him – the wild boar should add to the natural, yet dramatic, aesthetic Sellin is aiming for. The staging of the production promises to be a star in itself; with a roof of sticks to emulate a glade and lighting to capture the sense of journey and quest integral to this chivalric epic.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is difficult to define, as Sellin explained to me; however the cast seem to have come to grips with their epic, mythical characters. Duncan Cornish embodies the naivety necessary for the chivalric hero of the story. Jack Noutch’s King Arthur is especially striking; he captures the multifaceted nature of Arthur’s character of a veneer of authority mixed with his complex personal relationship with his wife, Guinevere, with great skill. James Mooney’s Merlin is perhaps the star performance; his manipulation of voice and body-language is impressive, capturing the ethereal and mysterious nature of the wizard with great poise. The female roles were underplayed in the preview; however Sellin’s explanation of Morgan le Fey haunting the erstwhile Sir Gawain, should make the production especially dramatic.
The complexity of the staging and the characters makes this production a mammoth task for all the cast and crew. I worry it is overambitious but if everything comes together it should be a multi-layered and unmissable production.
