Kneehigh and the Globe. They do suit each other rather well,
actually. Especially when it comes to a production like 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (which I saw at the matinée
on 28th August 2016).
There’s something about the irreverence and exuberance of
Kneehigh that suits the Globe space. I think perhaps it’s the way we can all
see each other – audience, actors, musicians. The Globe has always encouraged a
sort of conversation between the stage and the yard, and Kneehigh certainly
live up to that in Adolphus Tips.
From remarking on the weather to getting the audience to
sing and dance along – even beyond the performance, to a Q&A session after
the show – the cast of Adolphus Tips
really welcomed the audience as a part of that afternoon’s story.
946: The Amazing Story
of Adolphus Tips is an adaptation of a Michael Morpurgo book. I’ve not read
the book (though I want to now), so I was coming to the story fresh. It’s a
tale of war and displacement – of loss and sadness mingled with joy and love.
There were big laughs and some wonderfully joyful song and dance numbers, but
there were also some profoundly moving moments, and the girl standing next to
me in the yard was sniffing away towards the end.
There are so many bits I want to mention. The puppetry. The
motorbike. The way the sea battle was depicted – it reminded me a little of that
wonderful Bristol Old Vic production of Swallows
and Amazons, but it was also hugely moving. The moment when the cast played
a tune by blowing across the tops of bottles. The touching scene when they all
played recorders. The morris dancing. And of course the entirely unscripted
moment when the heavens opened just as the vicar was lifting his hands to pray.
All of the cast in Adolphus
Tips were talented multi-instrumentalists as well as actors. They sang,
danced, swapped instruments, and operated puppets all with the same energy, and
you couldn’t help being swept along with it all. I couldn’t single anyone out
for praise – they were all brilliant.
And it was nice to see the cast onstage afterwards in an
unexpected (by me, at any rate) Q&A session along with Michael Morpurgo and
Emma Rice. It was a bit like the old Talking Theatre sessions at the Globe (do
they still do those?) but on a larger scale. Michael Morpurgo was very funny, and
it was interesting to hear Emma Rice and Mike Shepherd talk about Kneehigh and
the Globe.
I’ve seen Kneehigh perform at their Asylum down in Cornwall,
and – despite some obvious differences – there is something similar about the
Globe. I love the Globe – it’s one of my favourite spaces. It’s fun to see
Kneehigh here.
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