A hilarious, energetic transformation of this classic poem to a modern office setting, with excellent technical design, although there are some slight oversights in its construction of the plot.Rating
Excellent!
Felix Grainger and Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson’s Gawain and The Green Knight opens with a pattern of light shining down onto the lift entrance centre stage, first blurred enough to look like a pine tree, but as it comes into focus, the shapes define themselves as light through a church window — and we are effortlessly situated in the Green Chapel. This is a production full of this technical eloquence, from Kezia Tomsett’s hauntingly beautiful music and sound design to Caitlin MacGregor’s expert lighting. Simon Nicholas’ set design fluently balances form and function in the walls of filing cabinet drawers, opening and closing to become steps, chairs and tables. The most impressive set element, though, is the lift doors, which ding open and shut throughout the production.
For scholars of Middle English, the idea of a modern, office adaptation of this iconic poem is admittedly an uncomfortable one, but the bouncing and energetic alliteration in the voice-over, a deliberate homage to Middle English form, assures an audience that Gawain is in safe hands with Grainger and Fogarty-Graveson.
The first half of the production leans fully into an office sitcom format to great effect; after falling into new management, Camelot Corp has undergone an Arthurian rebrand as a marketing strategy. Gary (Felix Grainger) is forced to be “Gawain” by new CEO Arthur (Cara Steele) and dogmatic employee Lancelot (Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson). As a comic duo, Steele and Fogarty-Graveson are excellent; their dedication to the medieval rebranding, a simple but incredibly effective recipe for comedy you’d expect to find in any beloved classic TV sitcom. Both give flawless performances in these roles, and these characters were greatly missed in the second half of the show.
Indeed, the main flaw of this play is in its plot structure post-interval. The writing is clever and effective enough in the first half to elegantly adapt the plot to an office space, altering the paradigms of the action so original plot points work in this setting. But, after the interval, time and place are discarded, and Gawain wanders the wilderness with no corresponding paradigmatic alteration of the circumstances of this action. This is made all the more jarring by the ever-present office scenery, which serves to remind the audience of the now-disappearing original context of this adaptation. With the compelling presence of the lift still dinging away between scenes, there is a missed opportunity to have Gawain wandering the floors of the office building in search of the Green Chapel on one of them, encountering each new obstacle as he descends through the building. With enough creative vision to produce the workplace sitcom, why also adapt Lord and Lady Bertilak’s encounter to another office setting, a few floors below Camelot Corp? It speaks volumes, however, about the ingenuity of this adaptation that its principal flaw is in abandoning itself.
Laura Pujos as Gwynne gives a compelling performance as Gawain’s romantic interest for the story, and, after initial disappointment that being named after Guinevere would not, in fact, precipitate a gay love story between her and the female Arthur, the tenderness that Gwynne and Gawain find over a bag of Quavers is heart-warming and a lovely element of the story. Gawain and The Green Knight is an excellent reimagining of a classic tale, and the shifts from comedy to genuine tension are excellently handled by director Kelly Ann Stewart, who steers this production with confidence and skill. This is a highly enjoyable play, bursting with energy and a compelling threat from the intimidating Green Knight, excellently costumed by Ciéranne Kennedy-Bell. This production is worthy of high praise.
Written by Felix Grainger & Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson
Directed by Kelly Ann Stewart
Music & Sound Design by Kezia Tomsett
Lighting Design by Caitlin MacGregor
Set Design by Simon Nicholas
Costumes by Ciéranne Kennedy-Bell
Gawain & The Green Knight plays at The Park until Wednesday December 24
