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Remember those lazy, hazy days of school when you rushed home and had just enough time to stick your dinner in your gob before all the good TV programmes started? Well, last Friday was kind of like that, as I rushed to grab something to eat before I made my way, with a bunch of other thirty-somethings, to the Nottingham Arts Theatre for the stage production Knightmare: Live.
There was a palpable feeling of excitement as a hundred or so overly excited adults took their seats and reminisced with anyone who would listen about their memories of their favourite characters, rooms and spells.
For those that don’t remember, Knightmare was arguably one of the best TV shows of the late eighties/early nineties. Teams of kids arrived in a dungeon and had to find their way out by solving various puzzles. Even more excitingly, one of the group was actually in the dungeon, walking through and blinded by the Helmet of Justice, guided only by their friends, who watched their progress on a screen.
After a successful couple of years developing the show - hence Level Two - the live version, is attracting both fans of the original TV series and newbies to the wonders of Lord Fear’s dungeon. Essentially, what started out as a couple of mates having a joke in the pub has evolved into something which has captured the hearts of kids across the UK.
The set was simple, and our hero, Vernon - that’s a warrior’s name! - seemed to have been picked from the audience. Vernon’s buddies for the performance were two local comedians also taking part in the comedy festival, Sam and Fran, who were utterly terrible at directions, which invoked a lot of pained screaming from the audience.
Surprisingly, the stage show was less technical than the TV programme, despite it airing way back in the past. Instead, Knightmare: Live tended to use puppetry, fancy dress and improv to portray the dungeon’s rooms. This actually worked really well; things didn’t always go completely smoothly but that added to the charm of the show.
Penny Reeve in the Helmet of Justice
Lord Fear, played by Tom Bell, channelled laughter, sorry, 'terror' as he bestowed upon us tales of death and woe for those brave enough to enter his dungeon, but not to live to tell the tale. For me, Bell was a highlight of the evening, with great timing and an attitude that betrayed how much he was enjoying himself on stage. Working alongside Paul Flannery as Treguard, the two played off each other perfectly. I’d love to see what they’d do in a stand-alone comedy act.
Maybe in this technical age, we’re nostalgic for a simpler time, when ‘hi-tech’ was a crappy image of a knight with his face melting off. Regardless, it’s working, and Knightmare: Live is easily the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Definitely one to watch, even if you don’t know your Helmet of Justice from your Silver Spurs of Squiredom.
Quick tip: Stay around at the end, and you too can wear the Helmet of Justice.
Knightmare: Live was at Nottingham Arts Theatre on Friday 26 September.
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