Arthur: Boy King
At Waterfront Theatre until April 28
Tickets: 604-685-6217, carouseltheatre.ca
Arthur may have been the king of all Britain, but in this Carousel Theatre for Young People production, Kayvon Kelly (as Kay) rules the stage: the kids love him.
He takes pratfalls, reveals himself as a scaredy-cat, gets drunk in his underwear, sucks his thumb, mixes up his words calling himself, at one point, the schnitzel of all England. The kids lap it up.
And thats good because this world premiere, commissioned by Carousel, written by Jeff Pitcher and directed by Carole Higgins probably goes over the head of many of the younger set with words like aversion, ambiguous, compassion and the oft-repeated phrase both Arthur and his sister Morgana say, What ails thee?
What ails thee is critical to playwright Pitchers pitch: if, as the wizard Merlin declares, Arthur ever asks that question he will unite all of England and will forgive, seek peace and rule with compassion and understanding. Thats not an easy concept to grasp: asking a question is the first step to finding an answer.
But heres part of the magic of theatre: the kids dont care if they dont get it all. Al Frisks set is a Disney-like castle with ramparts, a balcony and dungeon. Jeff Harrison brings it to life with light, Jeff Tymoschuk adds music and sound, and Barb Claydens costumes take us back to the Middle Ages. And theres sword fighting. Its live and lively even if the little ones dont know what a bastard son is.
The idea for Arthur: Boy King arose from Higgins musings on Prince William and Prince Harry following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Sovereignty often falls on young shoulders as it did with the present Queen who, upon the death of her father became queen at the age of twenty-five. In Pitchers play, Arthur (Arthur MacKinnon), Lancelot (Stephen Beaver), Kay (Kayvon Kelly) and Guinevere (Susan Coodin) appear to be teenagers when Arthurs father, King Uther, dies. Arthur, therefore, is Artie, Lancelot is Lance and Guinevere is Gwin. The romance between Lance and Gwin looks a lot like puppy love with some innocent cuddling in the forest.
When Arthur does finally ask What ails thee? and Merlin crowns him King of all Britain, Arthur appears to turn uh, 16? I dont know how this squares with history and, in fact, we now believe that King Arthur was a composite of various rulers so does it really matter?
And while the kiddies might not understand the enchantments scenes in which Merlin or Morgana cast spells involving the materializing of The Boy (Aidan Wessels) even the little ones know that Morgana, portrayed by Melissa Oei, is manipulative and wicked. (By the conclusion, however, even I was confused as to whether her wickedness was in the service of good.) Oeis performance, however, is deliberate, large and dramatic just the kind of performance to capture the kids imagination.
Scott Bellis, as Merlin, is wily and mischievous, especially as he adds a live slug to the potion hes brewing for The Boy. The echo effect used for The Boy makes his words very difficult to understand and while the adults understand that his words are actually being spoken through him by Morgana or Merlin, the kids probably dont. However, Ian Butcher, as King Lot, clad in black leather, studs and tall black boots, leaves no question: hes the bad guy.
Arthur: Boy King is intended for children aged seven and older. The night I attended, I sat behind three kids, ages six and maybe seven. The moms agreed that their children probably didnt understand a fair bit of what was going on, but they said the kids would talk about it later and add their own interpretation. They werent passive receptors of what was happening on stage, they were active participants. And that is, after all, what theatre is all about.
For more reviews, go to joledingham.ca.
