What can we make of a production like Great Britons? You can see it as a wild and crazy romp through 10 centuries of history in, on and around these islands. The pious might view it as scurrilous sedition. But it’s also a comedy with no remission.
Our two performers, Murray Simon and Brian Mitchell, have a steady hand on the tiller throughout. But there are no curtain calls because there are no curtains.
Between them, they conjured an afternoon performance with a minimum of props. There was the odd false moustache, cloak, and mask picked out from the box of props on centre stage. They curled up pretty fabric spiders to decorate the prison scenes when Robert the Bruce was having his inspirational vision of try, try and try again.
But this was no linear plot. We bumped along with some words from Burns, an eye patch for Napoleon and – because England expected every man to do his duty – we got a glimpse of Nelson signed up and in the navy at 12 years old. The sound effects of guns, cannons and crashing glass completed the first act.
Brian, who also does some of the songs, had teamed up with Joseph Nixon on the script. The set was neat and fairly straightforward. But the blue and orange lighting, a mini Union Jack, and the flags hanging on stage, all combined to provide a sufficient back cloth to a multitude of tales.
This story was also about our long relationships with our neighbours across the water including: the French, Spanish and Portuguese, with the Scots, Welsh and Irish just over the hill.
Waterloo wasn’t just a Eurovision winner. Napoleon retired to that tiny island of St Helena in the Med. But just when you thought it was OK to get back to the cricket field along came Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin. Not only that – Murray and Brian pointed out with gusto – half of London had been knocked down to build the Shard and other monsters. To them, it added insult to injury that West Ham FC were building a new stadium by the river.
This was theatre in your face with a bubbly near-full audience of around 40 people filling the Iron Works Studio, a few minutes from London Road and the Met.
Great Britons mixes well researched historic events and entwines them into a comedic script. But this is another crazy, exciting, funny and rollicking performance devised by Murray and Brian of the Foundry Group.
What will they do for their next show?
Iron Works, Sunday 12th May 2024
Photos by Louise Clarkson
