King Arthur
- Richard Evans
- Jul 26
- 2 min read
Le Navet Bete (Al Dunn, Matt Freeman and Nick Bunt) and John Nicholson
Le Navet Bete Company production
Theatr Clwyd, Mold
July 25-26, 2025:
The three co-directors and main players of Le Navet Bete, the Exeter-based touring company that specialises in physical comedy, have turned the tales of the knights of the round table into source material for a succession of slapstick comedy routines that have been delighting audiences for a couple of years now. Their King Arthur remains a wonderfully silly night out.
Matt Freeman, Nick Bunt and Al Dunn play three squires aspiring to be knights. At the end of a drunken night, Dave the squire extracts a promise from the King that all three of them can become knights if they take over Arthurfest, a showcase for the deeds of the knights. They have limited time to do this and the penalty for failure is death. The first act centres on finding the stories that will fill the show, while the second brings the presentation of five of the legends.
The bare facts of that synopsis don't do justice to what actually takes place. The storyline, in one sense, is immaterial; what matters is the opportunity it gives for the trio to clown around. I cringed, early-on, when a pink phallus flew into the audience, thinking we might be in for an evening of smutty jokes and innuendo. But this was just one of hundreds of diverse one liners, jokes and comedy routines that left many in the audience lost in laughter.
It is hard to estimate the hours of preparation needed in terms of devising a script and designing the set and costumes for this production to work. The action is manic at times, and the degree of cohesion and repartee needed, immense. But for the most part it all goes very smoothly. Ironically, some of the funniest moments are when things go slightly wrong - for instance when the chair for Dave the Squire collapses beneath him as he sits. Such is the strength of the relationship between the three guys, they adapt and turn this into comedy with a quick aside to the audience. There is plenty of audience interaction - to the point where at times it feels like we're watching a panto, which in some respects we are.
A small criticism of the show is that it is so fast, the storyline can be hard to follow and the players occassionally fail to carry the audience with them. But this doesn't negate the fact that this is a well prepared, considered production that has a real sense of fun for a range of ages, and leaves us full of admiration for the comic timing and athleticism on show. It's a lovely night of fun.
More info and tickets here
