Theatre / bristol company
Review: Elizabeth I, Factory Theatre
If you’re an adult fan of Horrible Histories and silliness generally, you’re bound to find much to amuse you in locals Living Spit’s take on the fortunes of Elizabeth 1.
The show opens as the young Elizabeth is crowned queen, and continues through the conceits of her writing in her diary, listening to well-timed answerphone messages from her many suitors, and conversing with her friend Burghley. The angle? The highs and lows of her sorry love life, and the fate of her cousin MQOS.
While Stuart McLoughlin plays the increasingly erratic Queen, lively Howard Coggins has more costume changes as he adeptly switches between Elizabeth’s courtiers and suitors. Meanwhile the audience plays the part of a rather monosyllabic Privy Council, at Coggins’ instruction.
Behind the story of Queen Elizabeth there is a play within a play: Coggins encourages us to cheer McLoughlin to ‘raise his confidence’ and the two have to be persuaded to act out some of the more difficult moments of the Queen’s early life.
For fans of silly humour, there is plenty here: men in dresses, a character played by a lettuce, and local jokes about ‘him upstairs’ (George Ferguson, of course).
But the real joy of this show is in the songs that parody various musical genres: Walter Raleigh’s rap is a memorable introduction to the treasures of the New World, while the early love song is an amusing Lloyd Webber take-off. With four instruments and a couple of great voices between them, these two are clearly extremely talented. Editing down some of the long dialogue scenes and increasing the musical numbers, however, would make for a much pacier show, especially in the second half.
That this and the final local date (Sunday 22) in the Living Spit calendar are already sold out is testament, though, to the popularity of these two energetic performers.
Elizabeth I: Virgin on the Ridiculous was at the Factory Theatre on Sunday, March 8. For more Tobacco Factory Theatres shows, visit www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com
Picture: Graham Burke / Coe Creative
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