I went last night (28/8/10) to see the final performance in a run of classic toy theatre plays directed by Horatio Blood and projected live on the National Theatre's Flytower. This was Blackbeard the Pirate, or, The Jolly Buckaneer, a nautical melodrama. It was performed by a small cast of actors, a musical duo of guitar and concertina (discovered busking by Horatio in Greenwich) and 2 or 3 backstage animators.
Horatio's outsized Corinthian stage was lit by strong lights from in front (with the glare shielded partially by an umbrella) and a video camera set up right in front. Details of the set and figures (mounted on wooden sliders) magnified brilliantly on to the tower. The core audience (made up of toy theatre followers and the curious) sat on deck chairs on the second floor mezanine and was in good humour throughout this short performance (about 30-40 minutes). We responded ably to the play's rousing patriotism, and while the play was condensed a bit too much for my taste (making the complicated plot hard to follow in places) the play provided a variety of contrasting scenes and effects- a battle at seas, sword fights, the appearance of a ghost, songs and memorable speeches.
Well worth the trip to the South Bank. Thank you National Theatre for organising this free event.
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