Arts > Theatre

Ketts Rebellion 1549 @ Heigham Park

26/06/16

A Golden Triangular mob of several hundred have amassed on the self-proclaimed 'Despicable Rectangle' of Heigham Park. Assembled before them, a cast of fifty prepare for the first public performance of 1549 –  not the revised arrival time for the 12:30 from Liverpool Street, but a dramatisation of events in Norwich that once send a shudder right the way back to Hampton Court. A medieval shockwave not unlike that precipitated by more recent events of the last few days.

On the 8th July, 1549, Robert Kett, a yeoman landowner sided with peasant protesters near Wymondham and led a rebellion to challenge the legitimacy of land enclosures authorised in the name of boy king Edward VI. The six week uprising was finally ended with a bloody battle in Norwich that left 3,000 dead and led to the hanging of Robert Kett from the castle walls.

 The Common Lot's production of 1549 takes just under two hours from start to finish. With no interval, and the vaguaries of the English weather to contend with, this is an outdoor show that brings its own challenges. A mixture of Horrible Histories, pantomime, and West End musical the result is a distinctly Norfolk affair that educates, amuses and entertains its way through the story of those momentous weeks. The audience have brought rugs, folding chairs and picnics to sustain themselves, and of course, umbrellas and waterproof layers.

What Karl Minns and Simon Floyd have so cleverly achieved with the script is a moving and enlightening portrayal of how the rebellion came about, and how passions stirred by the enclosure of common land spilled over into civil unrest. To those, like myself, with a limited knowledge of the  story of Kett's Rebellion this comes as a real eye opener. And, as the chorus sings, “This is 1549, but it could be any time”, parallels with present day are inevitably drawn.

But this is much more than social commentary or political drama. Main players in the rebellion combine with specially scripted characters from walks of Norfolk life to contribute elements of pure pantomime, satire and topical humour. Thus, the mood is lightened periodically, but without forfeiting the integrity of the piece. Mark Ison, as landowner Sir John Flowerdew, is suitably pompous in his purple robes. Dan Fridd, as Thomas Codd the Mayor, is an hilariously 'nobbish' out-of-touch politician from the 'Cameron meets Tim-Nice-But-Dim' school of method acting. Adrienne Schuter is wonderful as his long-suffering deputy, Ms. Augustine Steward. There are visions of Rik Mayall's Lord Flashheart in Max Hunt's Earl of Warwick, contemptuously sexing up his campaign to finally put down the rebellion. Vic Stone and Amanda Colman, as a pair of hipster city merchants, collectively poke fun at life in the Norwich Lanes.

Yes, this is a lengthy production, and at times the pace does stutter a little, but overall the enthusiasm and quality of the cast, and the frequent interludes of comic levity, carry us through. The chorus, led by Ken le Grice and Siobhan O'Connor, get the atmosphere exactly right, as do the accompanying musicians from Mind the Gap.

1549 will be performed at a variety of outdoor locations up to and including a finale party on Mousehold Heath on Sunday July 10th. If you love Norfolk you will love this show, and you will love what The Common Lot have done in bringing these historical events so skilfully to life.

An enthralling and illuminating spectacle. Not to be missed.