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Review:- "Bow & Arrow The Plebs of Sherwood" - @City_Theatre
THE last instalment of the:- 'Bow & Arrow' plays, written by Barry Levy, has its last night at:- The Hope Street Theatre, in Liverpool, tonight. This is not a show that you had to have seen all the other shows in the series to watch or follow, so don't let that put you off going!
On Friday night, we popped over to take a look at the show and this is our quick review of what took place. We know that the show still has a few tickets left tonight, so pop over to Hope Street and buy some. You can keep dry and have a good night of entertainment in Town.  We start this review with a warning... This show is a:- 'Marmite Show,' as in you love it or hate it. This is due to its constant sexual innuendos and references to sex acts, from the very start to the very end. Do not expect highbrow acting in this stage performance, it is just straightforward humour, but it is well-written and with good delivery from its cast. Over the last few shows, by Barry Levy, space has been limited for the production to store and perform in. You might be forgiven for thinking that the downside to a small studio theatre is space, but hats off to both Rebekah Moreland and Gemma Harrison for their creative directions, along with the Stage Manager, Joe Gordon. Between them, and the backstage assistants, the cast has been able to utilise the small performance area with optimum efficiency. The lack of props was not due to the lack of professionalism of the show, but down to the size and layout of the venue. Oddly, I think not having scenery and only a few props allowed the action to move swiftly and the audience to focus on the language. This is in fact far harder for the actors than you would expect. To say this is not a highbrow production, because of this, is in some ways inaccurate, as Shakespeare's productions didn't involve fixed scenery or painted backdrops, and high-end lighting​​ systems, so in retrospect...? The other interesting thing is that the costumes are not what you would expect, but boudoir clothing, supplied by Liverpool's source of adult fun, Scandals. Also, do not expect to see weapons, in the traditional meaning as the title implies... Seeing the show will clarify the situation.
 Moving on to lighting, the small stage area meant yet again the use of front-of-house projections. Personally, I hate this method and much prefer back projection, but the lack of space prohibits this, you can only work with what you have available. Jon Cliff, did a fantastic job of controlling the lighting, projections and sound from a very small area at the side of the stalls. Again, it would be nice to have seen high-end lighting, but the lighting and sound were effective and well-delivered throughout the show.  Music was edited by Shaun Herr and played by John, at a very sensible level, that did not drown out the singers. Shaun also did a few special effect sounds that were used to good effect. But singing coach Elisha Mai, still has a lot of work to do, to select musical numbers that match the script and the abilities of the singers performing the show. I stress that the singers are good, it is just that the music did not match the range of the singers in my view, for example, what I would class as an alto singer singling a track written for a soprano. This is one of the issues that does get me frustrated about many theatre shows. Often the track is picked as it fits the script but does not fit the vocal range, pitch and tone of the voices of the actor/s. Even with skilful voice control throughout the performance, selecting a song wrongly often leaves the actor's voice to struggle. A singer with a dynamic range reduces issues, but they are hard to find. I might be coming across as a bit strong, and critical, but annoyingly to improve clarity, and the actor's performance, it might work better to work out the actor's quality, range, and tone of voice before selecting a track. And this is not just a case of it happening within this show, but in many others, including some of the West End shows, and even on TV shows, who often use EQ to 'sort' out this issue. This moves onto microphones, thankfully the small venue does not need microphones if actors can deliver clearly the lines and at a sensible volume. All the cast did this amazingly well, and I was extremely impressed that microphones did not need to be used.
 So what about the plot? Well, this is a simple plot with lots of sexual jokes. Some of them are predictable, others less predictable. Unlike the other Bow & Arrow shows, the show was far more crafted in my view and was a good rounding off of the theoretical tale, that also stood well as a solo production, as well as, within the series. We do not want to give away the story too much, but inevitably, we will have a few spoilers within this section.  The plot opens with King Hardwood, and Arrow, as they return from fighting in the Crusades. It then moves on, and in another scene we discover Bow Scar is at a Convent, upsetting the nuns with her raunchy dreams. I was quite expecting a like:- "I was wondering if it is venially sinful or mortally sinful to watch" but alas it never happened. This scene did raise quite a few giggles from the audience, who appeared to be oddly reserved at first. Despite being adult-oriented, the script had very few swear words which you might have expected. The only character to swear properly was the King. The plot then moves on and with a death comes the quest... This quest takes you through a variety of interesting scenarios, including a visit to the fictional club Sherwood Erotica. If you expect nudity, well you will only get that implied, sorry! But that leads to quite a few well-delivered jokes along the way. The conclusion rounds up nicely, with a satisfactory ending to the show and the series, which helps with the standalone nature of this production, and also fits in with its legacy as the final instalment.  I might sound scathing of this show, but in reality, you have to ask:-
The biggest annoyance for me was the venue. Throughout the first half, I could hear doors banging, and music playing from what sound was above the theatre area. This was very distracting. I really think studio theatres have lots to offer, but the last Bow & Arrow was performed at the Epstein, and the idea, 'size doesn't matter' really is tested in this case... The small niggling venue issues and the vocal issues of the singers aside, the show really merits a visit. So, please do go along to the last night if you can.
 This show performance does not blind nor stuns the beholders, and the stage transformation is not happening between sets, but does it deliver an expression of disappointment within the viewers? No! It does what it sets out to achieve. It might not be West End, but it is a well-crafted script and the cast and crew are brilliant and do an amazing job. A fantastic, easy-to-watch show, if you like to see well-written, and delivered adult humour... I will have to give this a 4 out of 5 popcorn kernels. This show deserves to be watched!
 4 out of 5 popcorn kernels  For more information and to get tickets go to:- HopeStreetTheatre.Com, and on:- TicketQuarter.Co.UK. For more information about City Theatre please visit:- CityEntertainmentGroup.Co.UK, or follow them on Twitter. The show run started on:- 6 July and ends tonight, 8 July 2023 at the Hope Street Theatre, Liverpool. The last show starts at - 7 pm, tonight! COMMENTS (0)
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