Last updated at 14:31, Friday, 09 July 2010

Silence, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick: If you want a quiet night then Silence at Keswick Theatre by the Lake isn’t for you.

There is a very shouty King of England, played with star quality by Christopher Webster, the sexually obsessed Eadric (Andrew Grose), who puts magic mushrooms in the stew to get his wicked way and a cross-dressing Lord Silence of Cumbria (Vanessa Johnson) who is anything but.

New productions in the small Studio theatre never cease to amaze with their ingenuity and Silence is no exception. Every bit of the stage is used as the audience is transported from the white cliffs of Dover to the King’s Canterbury palace then by rickety cart and boat to Cumbria. Knowing nothing of the story beforehand, Moira Buffini’s play was fascinating and held me rapt for more than two hours.

Constant scene changes did not interrupt the flow of the play, only adding to the pace of the action and my mind moved easily with the actors from the south of England to a Cumbria beset by marauding Vikings.

Crisis of faith seems to be a common theme in Keswick productions, and the clashing of two belief systems in Silence bring questions of religion sharply into focus.

The King’s newfound faith in God gave him the power to rampage through his country, murdering as he went, while the Priest Roger (James Hogg) finds his truth in the mushroom stew and not the bible. Stifling medieval attitudes towards women are challenged in this play by the potent Ymma (Sarah Groarke), the King’s obsession. She grabs the opportunity of power with both hands, finally embracing her femininity to get what she wants.

Silence - which runs until November 6 - is yet another cracking production in a busy summer schedule at Keswick and the quality of acting is second to none.

ANNA BURDETT

First published at 14:07, Friday, 09 July 2010
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk