MODERN day balladeers GreenMatthews will be bringing a new version of Geoffrey Chaucer’s timeless classic The Canterbury Tales to Pershore’s Number 8.
Six of the best-loved tales will be brought to life on Thursday, March 31 from 7.30pm as GreenMatthews take visual inspiration from medieval mystery plays.
Complete with a touring set which has been specially constructed to resemble a medieval travelling theatre, the three-man cast use drama, verse, physical theatre and song to bring Chaucer’s characters to riotous life, telling tales packed with colourful characters and strange situations.
“This is definitely not a dry academic take on English literature – the show is fast, furious, occasionally filthy and invariably funny,” the group said.
Written in the late 14th century, The Canterbury Tales is the high-water mark of medieval English literature and paints a rich and vibrant portrait of life in medieval England.
It is based around the concept of a group of pilgrims to the shrine of Thomas à Becket at Canterbury Cathedral who tell each other stories to while away the journey.
All human life is present – from the dark and brooding Pardoner’s Tale to the bawdy Miller’s Tale, via the proto-feminism of The Wife of Bath’s Tale and the simple whimsy of the Nun’s Priest’s Tale.
Although Chaucer wrote his masterwork more than 600 years ago, it still feels contemporary, fresh and vital – and wholly accessible to modern audiences.
Tickets for The Canterbury Tales are £12 and are on sale now from Number 8 Box Office on 01386 555488 or online at www.number8.org.
