THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK

Tue 7 - Sat 11 December 2021
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Sheep Street, Northampton NN1 3NL

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Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, and now Masque Theatre have all entertained me with nonsense. Not an easy thing to do, especially in current climes.

There's a pandemic and even with one of their own being affected by having to distance tonight, the show went superbly on.

We start, as we did with the previous show by this troupe (The Maids), in the Holy Sepulchre. In a round. The audience are greeted by the narrative of The Jabberwocky, one of Carroll's finest works and one that Beverley Webster (director and creator of this adaptation) used to inform the audience of the past.

Echoing around the pillars and making great use of the acoustics of this fine building, different narrators, soon to transform into characters, gave us a necessary introduction into why we were soon to travel with a very off crew.

I have never heard or seen Jabberwocky performed in such a way. Both my companion and I looked at each other and we knew that this was going to be an evening of "frabjous' joy. Together we settled into this surreal world. Her mulled wine and my mocktail warming our insides while our eyes feastedon the spectacle presented to us.

Nonsense does not mean meaningless though. Every aspect of the poems that were performed echo aspects of Victorian society and, using the refrain of how they hunted for the Snark with different items:

They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care:
They pursued it with forks and hope;
They threatened its life with a railway-share:
They charmed it with smiles and soap.

Nine characters set sail to find a legendary creature: The Snark. Together, they have many quirks and, aside from all having professions that begin with 'B', they 'sail' their way through the chapters or 'fits' that Carroll has prepared for them. Webster has chosen to use 'Alice' (newcomer to Masque Julia Fras) as a central figure, casting them also as the Baker to ensure they have a place on this nonsensical voyage.

Webster uses these items literally on a stage that has a tree, a ship, hosts two separate boats during the evening and, of course, a dream sequence of a courtroom. Because why not? Lear and Carroll filled their works with random imagery and thus the hard work of Mark Mortimer (set construction), Tamsyn Payne (costume design and props) and Claire Britain (wardrobe), guided by Emmi Fortune and Debi Greenhill's managerial hands, present different worlds from magical moment to 'mimsy' moment.

We go from an island to a forest and are shocked and enchanted when mists roll in and creatures of unknown descriptions prowl towards us and each other. We seek the Snark though and, despite seeing them in a courtroom of dreams, the hunt must continue.

Interludes of Lear entertain magnificently and one cannot fail to smile as Rob Kendall and Maggie Holland declare their love for one another as the Owl and the Pussycat. We are charmed by their love and smirk at their language. Did Lear know his words 'might' have alternative meanings that adults would secretly chuckle at? Certainly not! Well, possibly. OK, he did, but this is just for children all right? " I thought you might have had a hernia," my companion whispered to me in the interval as we followed the Walrus (Beverley Webster) and Carpenter (Toni Clarke) up to the refreshment station. My eyes still wet from crying with laughter!

When the Jumblies entered, I knew that our drinks must have been mixed - this mummers' play version of "some poetry" took my mind to another level and my childhood was rekindled. It was brought alive as I watched creatures I only had read of become animated and dance right in front of me. A wig and a pair of blue gloves per character; add some excellent movement and voila, Jumblies!

Great humour

With my childhood awoken, I saw this play with great humour and was able to overlook the hiccoughs that happen on any opening night. Indeed, in the second act, Fras and others were now taking their vocal cues from the tremendous projections of Boots (Sue Whyte) and the Bellman (David Deegan) and all voices rang together in harmony, making proper use of the round's challenges and opportunities.

This, along with all the excellent physical movements of the Beaver (Jen Kenny), the Barrister (Mairead Kearins) and the Butcher (Will Brown), meant that every part of narrative was now understood, despite half of it being nonsensical.

The second half whistled by quickly (too quickly?) and this was a shame - everyone seemed more relaxed and enjoying themselves more on stage. But all good things must come to an end and the Lobster Quadrille rounded off a fantastic evening of nonsense.

The festive songs at the end seemed forced though and slightly discordant with the entirety of the evening. I understand why they were there - any 'Christmas' show has a great opportunity for a singalong but perhaps only Merry Christmas should have been used; the full version of The Holly and The Ivy concentrated our imagination in a different direction, one that was less entertaining and more sacrificial.

For me and my companion it distracted from the works of Lear and Carroll that had been excellently presented for the last two hours and drew us away from the fantastic to the religious. Yet the image of a Luminous Nose of Roger Toone will keep me smiling for a good still lingered in the air for us and our laughter caused by the great acting few days to come!

With hints of Treasure Island (a sea journey leading to adventures on an unfamiliar island) and A Christmas Carol (an ensemble cast bringing to life the story through character work, group narration and a sprinkling of song) featuring Victorian stereotypes alongside fantastical creatures, The Hunting of the Snark is set to be a fun Christmas-time spectacle in a similar vein to past Masque presentations.

This adaptation sets the scene by opening with Lewis Carroll’s poem Jabberwocky (from Through the Looking Glass) which introduces us to the Jubjub bird and the Bandersnatch, who also appear in Snark, as well as portmanteau words like uffish and galumphing that similarly appear in both.

In Carroll’s Snark all the crew are men (except perhaps the lace making Beaver) but in this adaptation there are several women, including Carroll’s eponymous heroine Alice who is now part of the crew; as the slayer of the Jabberwock before being assigned the role of the Baker who has forgotten her name.

To break up the rhythm of the poem and to create a more rounded journey a couple of works by Edward Lear are included; The Jumblies (which will appear as a sea shanty) and The Dong with a Luminous Nose.

Initially pencilled in for Christmas 2020 it seems fortuitous that this play is now scheduled for 2021; 150 years since the publication of both Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass and Edward Lear’s Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets. Masque can therefore celebrate this nonsense anniversary by staging Carroll’s epic nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark, “The impossible voyage of an improbable crew to find an inconceivable creature”.

For a flavour of the piece here is a section from the beginning of the play...

Masque Theatre's production is directed by Beverley Webster who has previously directed Love's Labours Lost (2019), Playhouse Creatures (2017)