Blondel

Synopsis

In the reign of Richard The Lionheart, Blondel is an unfairly (in his view) unappreciated court musician, desperate for fame and fortune until his realisation that there are more important things in life - honesty, bravery and Fiona, the woman he loves. He is caught up in the political crises of the time; the leader of the country has taken the nation into a dodgy war in the Middle East, his deputy is a dishonest and lecherous man who is after his job, fame and celebrity seem to be the watchwords of the day, illegal immigrants are treated badly and indiscriminate killers stalk the whole of Europe. According to publicity material, only Prince John’s tights remind us that this is the 12th century, not the 21st.

Our Review:

24 November 2006

In a boom season for musicals, it's a pleasant – and indeed Pleasance - surprise to find this 1983 collaboration between Tim Rice and the late Stephen Oliver turning up in a jaunty revival by Patrick Wilde. And while Connie Fisher carries all before her in The Sound of Music, one of the other semi-finalists in the How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? television show, Abi Finley – a little like a new Marti Webb - proves that she too has a promising future.

Finley plays Fiona, the feisty girlfriend of the minstrel Blondel, serf-ing the medieval airwaves, and by no means the weaker vassal. Blondel’s recent near-misses include “Groats from Heaven” and “Send in the Jesters”, but his task now is not just to write a chart-topping rondel (with rhymes worthy of Blondel) but also to rescue King Richard and prevent the dastardly Prince John from seizing the throne. Yes folks, the year is 1189 and we’re not even watching Spamalot...