Publicity #1: The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew
Publication: Brighton Argus
Publication Data: July 30 2009 issue
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The Young Wick Theatre Group presents this clever morality fable, which tells the tale of the kind and gentle knight Sir Oblong Fitz Oblong who sets out on a mercy mission. Along the way he meets an assortment of friends and foes, from a magpie who can’t resist stealing shiny things to a peasant called Obidiah who paints eggs for a living. In some hair-raising adventures, will good triumph over evil?
Review #1: The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew
Publication: Shoreham Herald
Publication Data: Unknown
Reviewer: Sheena Campbell
Text Header: Young peerless account of baron’s downfall
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PLAYERS from Young Wick Theatre Company took to the Barn Theatre, Southwick, stage in Robert Bolt’s clever morality fable, The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew.
The play, half-fairytale and half-satire, could have been a challenge for such a young cast, but they pulled it off wonderfully.
The story starts with a duke whose country is overrun by dragons. When his knights in shining armour have killed them all, the duke announces they can enjoy a nice, lazy life, but the soft-hearted Sir Oblong Fitz Oblong thinks they should move on to other areas to succour the poor and needy. The duke is persuaded to get Oblong out of the way by appointing him a knight errant and dispatching him on a dangerous mission to the Bolligrew Islands. It is on these islands, home to a dragon and ruled by the bad Baron Bolligrew, with his sidekick Squire Blackheart, that Oblong encounters a series of adventures.
As one of the first actors to appear on stage, William McDonald was suitably pompous and dim as the duke who dispatches Oblong on his dangerous mission, and the opening scene, with each of the knights presenting a dragon’s tail to prove they had killed the beast, set the tongue-in-cheek tone of the whole play.
Hugo Harwood was excellent as Oblong, the knight who talks to animals and always tries to do good. Appearing in nearly every scene, he had an astonishing number of lines to remember and never let his character slip.
I went to see the play on opening night and some of the actors did appear a little nervous in the first few scenes, but quickly warmed to their rôles. Miles Bland, as Blackheart, delivered some great comic lines in the latter half of the first act and second act. Other highlights for me were Ian Grover, as Obidiah, and Addie Marten as the Magpie.
Addie captured the shuffling movements and squawking voice of the thieving bird wonderfully and Ian was fantastic as the egg painter who is being cheated by the baron. Beth Riggs was also great as the storyteller, who provided knowing humour throughout the play. There were several jokes to make the adults in the audience laugh, with references to “a bird of loose morals” and the computer game Tetris, while the children enjoyed some more pantomime-like aspects of the play.
The audience also got to see director Mark Best on stage, or hear him, anyway, as the voice of the dragon, with red lighting, designed by Mike Medway, setting the scene for his fiery den. Other touches which had the audience laughing out loud were the trolley used for the ship and the man-at-arms who hauled himself into court.
With a cast of about twenty five young enthusiasts Mark Best must have approached this production with some trepidation. However, he performed some magic and delivered a most entertaining evening of light-hearted fantasy.
The set was well designed and the lighting excellent. What a shame it was that such a talented company of youngsters did not receive the support they deserved. Maybe the masses of family and friends packed the theatre for the last night performance.
As the Director says in his programme notes, the characters really did come to life. Although some may have had only one or two lines, they were all spoken with some conviction. The dialogue was never exactly slick but it was nearly always clear and only one prompt was apparent.
Having no wish to attribute stardom to anyone, it must be said that all five or six principals gave excellent performances. The Narrator’s casual attitude to the whole business was very successfully conveyed and the two magpies maintained their fluttering posture exceptionally well.
The elders of the Wick Theatre Company must, with such a numerous and talented youth section, feel very confident about the future.
Review #2: The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew
Publication: Brighton Argus
Publication Data: Unknown
Reviewer: Dan Creffield
Text Header: Young stars gave a joyous performance
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WHILE the Young Wick Theatre Company may sound like a newcomer on the local amdram scene, the group has, in fact, been putting on performances since 1950. Based at Southwick’s The Barn, the company has earned respect for nurturing youthful talent while staging interesting and entertaining work.
Their latest play, The Thwarting Of Baron Bolligrew, is no exception. Featuring a cast of more than 30 performers, it was an intriguing combination of medieval fairytale, satire and morality play. Essentially aimed at children, it told the comical story of Oblong Fitz-Oblong, a heroic knight duped into travelling to a distant provincial outpost on a mission to slay a dragon and bring corrupt Baron Bolligrew into line.
Playwright and two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter Robert Bolt, most famous for his play A Man For All Seasons, was once imprisoned for protesting against nuclear proliferation and his favoured themes of integrity and honour are woven into the piece.
This was a charmingly light-hearted performance, which the young cast seemed to enjoy as much as the audience. Modern additions including incorporating the Tetris computer game and using a supermarket trolley as an unlikely ship worked well. The only slight flaw was the stage, which was about as basic as can be imagined. However, some creative lighting and music, as well as excellent performances, mitigated this to an extent.
Particularly impressive were William McDonald as the Duke and Hugo Harwood as Oblong. It has to be said though, everyone played their part in what was a joyous performance.
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