Having performed at the Cecil Sharp House Carol Concert (or Ceremony of
Carols and Customs) in 1998 we were pleased when Colin said that we'd been
asked back.
"Do they want the same programme?", we asked.
"No", said Colin, "Just the rapper."
"What's wrong with the longsword?"
"They've got someone else."
"Oh."
A few weeks later Colin asked us if we would mind dancing the longsword
after all as the other team had had to pull out. No problem said we.
The following week Colin came back, "Could we possibly do a mummer's play as
well? The other longsword team were going to do it."
"But we don't have a mummer's play", said someone.
"We can find one.", says I.
So we set to work trawling the World Wide Web for suitable plays. Colin came
back with one from the Westminster Morris Men - "All we need to do is
rewrite the topical bits."
"Bags I Turkish Knight", said I, having already got the costume from a
previous play.
"I'll be the Doctor", said Colin, being the owner of a top hat and tailcoat.
"I'll be
Betty
", said TommyAlan who hadn't a thing to wear!
We cast Pete as St. George and Dave as Old Father Christmas leaving the
other characters until the play was adapted.
Colin undertook to be director and with Alison updated the play to include
digs at Virgin Rail and the west coast line delays and managed to write
parts for two more doctors so that nobody was without a part! Pete and I set
to work stripping down cookers and washing machines for the metal for
shields and swords that would clang nicely and not shatter at a crucial
point in the play (ie. the first blow). Others set to work (or set their
wives to work) making costumes.
We set aside some time at practices for the play and Robert, Dave, John and
Alan got some regular weight training carrying me off stage at the end of
the play.
As December approached and things seemed to be going well we started to
wonder. We were already doing three spots, what about a fourth spot?
"Colin," we asked "Do think they would like some morris?"
"Westminster are doing the morris."
"Westminster? But we're nicking their play!"
"Don't worry! They won't recognise it!"
The day arrived and we had agreed to meet early enough for quick run through
but with people coming and going the only run through was the one St. George
got from the Turkish Knight in the play.
Our first spot was the longsword dance. We performed the Kirby Malzeard
dance and were pleased by the gasps of astonishment when we made the lock
(and almost pulled down the decorations). It was a good lock but was it that
impressive? We discovered afterwards that a lot of people had come after
seeing an advert in Time Out and had never seen a sword dance before. That
many people were ignorant of such customs was confirmed when later, dressed
in my baggy trousers and curly slippers, I was asked if I was a 'mumbler'.
Our acting debut came and
we were led on to the floor by Elaine's fiddle
music. The play went well - getting laughs in places we hadn't expected with
the atmosphere of merriment charging the play and making it something much
better than the play we had rehearsed. The feedback from the audience
allowed us to deliver our lines at the proper pace and become heroes and
villains (and Alan Miburn and Antony Clare) instead of just playing them. At
last St. George sneakily dispatched the Turkish Knight with a pistol and I
was carried off, stomach wobbling gently with laughter, to make a
surreptitious resurrection before we all trooped off, led again by Elaine,
singing the Gloucester Wassail. (Singing! Another new experience for the
Saxons!)
Our final spot was the rapper dance. In an extravaganza of transvestism and
personality transference the mummers' Betty became the rapper's Tommy and
the Doctor became Betty and St. George and the Turkish Knight swapped
broadsword and scimitar for rappers. We were performing a new routine with
a high figure to chorus ratio and back at full rapper strength with two characters,
instead of the one we have had recently,
so the floor seemed unusually crowded. Somehow we ended up with an 8 sword
lock again despite only having five dancers plus Tommy and Betty and nearly
brought down the decorations again as we left the room.
The evening ended, as such evenings should, with pints of Abbot Ale
splendidly served by Jerry and with a session as the orchestra came down
from the concert.
