Runaground: Cautionary Tales

Runaground: Cautionary Tales

Runaground: Cautionary Tales

Hilaire Belloc’s Cautionary Tales are a range of satirical poems with sometimes questionable morals, penned almost a century ago. Here the poems, originally intended to warn children of the dangers of misbehaving, are interpreted with simplistic staging and effective design by this university company. Reminiscent of works by Lewis Carroll and a strong influence on Roald Dahl, Belloc’s tales are challenging to perform, being as they are highly interesting but sometimes alienating and complex. Indeed, this production, though presented with energy and commitment by the cast, feels quite disjointed and at times hard to follow, lacking a consistent through-line to pull the action together.

There are some moments of exciting staging; the device of a doll’s house being pulled apart by fishing wire is particularly effective, and there is some strong physicality, particularly in the contemporary dance style adaptation of the poem concerning Henry King, who died horribly by eating string! I would have liked to see these moments pushed further and held together by slicker scenic transitions, as these were sometimes laborious. The company played a range of characters fairly well, with Lord Lundy being particularly effective, and it would have been exciting to see them developing this as the simple aesthetic (performers dressed in black, reciting poems with some physicalisation and use of humour) lends itself to much more in the way of further experimentation.

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About Sarah Davies

Sarah is a Drama Lecturer (UAL Acting and Applied Drama), Freelance Writer, Facilitator and Improviser who has written for Total Theatre Magazine since 2011. Recent work includes play commissions from Theatre Centre, Menagerie Theatre and Now Press Play, and facilitation/directing for The Marlowe Theatre, All The World's a Stage and Improv Gym. Her recent improv performances include Mount Olymprov (Greece) with Big Bang Improv Boston, Amsterdam Improv Marathon,and Improfest (London).