MERLIN THE MAGNIFICENT. To 24 August.

Young People

MERLIN THE MAGNIFICENT
by Stuart Paterson, music by Charlie Winston

Unicorn Theatre and New Shakespeare Company at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park To 24 August 2002
Mon-Fri 2.30pm (not 22nd) Sat 11am
Runs 2hr One interval

TICKETS 020 7486 2431
www.open-air-theatre.org.uk
Review Timothy Ramsden 12 August

An uneasy choice for open-air theatre, this production mainly scores through several well-tuned performances.This year's daytime show in Regent's Park, for children age 6 and over, is Unicorn's revival of Stuart Paterson's first play for young people. Robin Samson's stage-magician Merlin (bow-tie, striped jacket, comically small and luridly decorated case – everything except the tricks) fights for the light against the rising dark of Sharon White's Morgana-Le-Fay, a black-eyed, black-booted presence only waiting for boos and hisses to make her day.

Paterson writes with full-scale theatricality in mind; daylight playing against sets for three other shows reduces the potential for design and eliminates any lighting. Instead, sounds do their worst, sheets of swishes, rumbles and roars tearing across the Open Air's amphitheatre.

We come down to earth at Sir Hector and Lady Baffy's castle. She's putting him on a diet, while father and son battle it out in lying contests – both cues for comedy. All three look down on their servant Arthur, a male Cinderella whose macho going to the ball will involve pulling the sword Excalibur from its stone. Jamie Zubairi is a likeable lad, but shows little Arthurian charisma. It's Celia Meiras' Gwen (Guinevere-to-be) who's the more resourceful. Meiras' ever-alert features and concerned awareness of what's going on mark her out as a performer, and her Gwen as a character, to be watched.

Peter Rylands doubles as an amiably buffoonish Sir Hector and a sympathetic construction-worker of a Mole, the creature which helps Gwen rescue the once and future king-to-be. Janet Jefferies is an efficient Lady Baffy and a creepily jovial woodland stranger, while Charlie Folorunsho makes a comic supercool, supersoft young royal and Fergus McLarnon an ultimately sympathetic Morgana hanger-on.

Tony Graham's production often seems to be battling against its open-air conditions, but at least keeps the pace brisk.

Kay/Strut/Cabal: Charlie Folorunsho
Lady Baffy/Blade/Mrs Eerycheery: Janet Jefferies
Merling: Robin Samson
Face: Fergus McLarnon
Gwen: Celia Meiras
Morgana-Le-Fay: Sharon White
Arthur: Jamie Zubairi
Sir Hecrtor/Mole: Peter Rylands

Director: Tony Graham
Designer/Costume: Russell Craig
Musical Director: Charlie Winston
Movement: Emily Gray

2002-08-13 14:58:48