Lincoln Mystery Plays 1993
Lincoln Cathedral 5-7 August
reviews
HEAVENS OPEN ON MYSTERY PLAYS
Just as the cast of the Lincoln Mystery Plays entered Cathedral’s cloister to reenact the Creation, the heavens opened.
Dispite the torrentioal downpour which sent most of the audience scuttling for shelter, the show went on, with Ba Comber magnificently playing God and earning a round of applause for admitting to the creation of water.
Medieval stained glass windows explained the familiar bible stories in pictures to a largely illiterate society and the
Mystery Plays brought them to life. But despite being written for poorly educated people, these were sophisticated scripts and were acted with great passion by the largely amateur cast.
After the Creation we moved to the trail of Joseph and Mary, although the promised”bawdy language” was lost in the echoes around the cloister.
As night fell, the birth of Christ and the sunsequent events, acted out in a pool of light surrounded by darkness, took on the quality of a Christmas card but any sentimentality was swept away with the moving interpretation of the Massacre of the Innocents- the bloodstained end to the nativity story which we normally prefer to ignore.
By the time the plays reached the Last Supper and Judsa’s Betrayal, the audience were completely under the actors’ spell.
The standard of music was particularly high and some of the acting remarkable. Ben Poole obviously enjoyed his role as Satan which he played with relish and Tony Raby proved himself a versatile and talented amateur actor.
The Mystery Plays are at the Cathedral tonight and tomorrow night at 8pm. They are well worth a visit but unless the weather improves, wear everything you own.
Judy Theobald
Lincolnshire Echo 6.8.93
cast
The Creation
God
Lucifer
Good Angels
Gabriel
Evil Angels
Adam
Eve
Richard Main
Ben Poole
Fiona Collins, Kay Bunn, Claire Hollingsworth
Gill Hardcastle
Paul Hopkins, John Bowtell, Paul Corbett
John Armitage
Jo Smith
Salutation and Conception
God
Son
Holy Ghost
Gabriel
Mary
Richard Main
Neil Perkins
James Poole
Gill Hardcastle
Laura Davies
The Trial of Joseph and Mary
Joseph
Mary
Sim Summoner
Raise Slaunder
Back Biter
Bishop Adiyachar
Bob Shirley
Laura Davies
Paul Corbett
Tony Raby
Simon Clark
Bob Hogarth
The Birth of Jesus
Joseph
Mary
Zelomy
Salome
Bob Shirley
Laura Davies
Joyce Eyre
Linda Downing
The Adoration of the Shepherds
Angel
Maunfras
Boosras
Moyse
Joseph
Mary
Carol Hill
John Armitage
Bob Hogarth
John Bowtell
Bob Shirley
Laura Davies
Adoration of the Magi
Herod
Steward
King’s Pages
Melchizar
Balthazar
Jaspar
Mary
Angel
Tony Raby
James Poole
Grace Constance-Main, Chloe Hardcastle
Karen Harrison
Fiona Collins
Jeannine Thornley
Laura Davies
Claire Hollingsworth
Massacre of the Innocents
Herod
Steward
Joseph
Mary
Soldiers
Women
Death
Tony Raby
James Poole
Bob Shirley
Laura Davies
Dave Clayton, John Bowtell, John Armitage
Jo Smith, Linda Downing
Karen Harrison
Chorus
Laura Stafford, Heather Davies, Caroline Anthony, Sarah Jones, Leah Warriner, Hazel Neilly, Victoria Beeby, Paschal Hogan, Lorna Mosedale, Alexandra Davies, Charlotte Crowley, Josephine Todd, Stephanie Yee, Lucy Ashton, Kelly Adams, Joanna Lee, Leane Sharpe, Katy Vine.
The Anti-Sermon
Satan
Ben Poole
The Temptation
Jesus
Satan
Imps
Neil Perkins
Ben Poole
Rebecca Fawcett, Kelly Macdougall, Sarah Drakes, Aimee Mukherjee, Katherine Howells, Elizabeth Yee, Luke Madison
Woman taken in Adultery
Jesus
Woman
Scribe
Pharisee
Accuser
Neil Perkins
Jeannine Thornley
Bob Shirley
Dave Clayton
John Bowtell
The Passion
Mary Magdalene
Jesus
Peter
John
Satan
Judas
Angel
Karen Harrison
Neil Perkins
Tony Raby
John Armitage
Ben Poole
Richard Main
Gill Hardcastle
Trial Before Herod
Jesus
Herod
Soldiers
Neil Perkins
Simon Clark
James Poole, Gordon Brenchley
Crucifixion
Jesus
Veronica
Soldiers
Mary
Mary Magdalene
John
Neil Perkins
Linda Downing
Dave Clayton, Bob Shirley, Keith Ramsay, John Bowtell
Louie Ramsay / Gill Hardcastle
Karen Harrison
John Armitage
The Burial
Jesus
Joseph of Aramathea
Nicodemus
Longeus
Mary
Soldiers
Neil Perkins
Bob Shirley
Bob Hogarth
Tony Raby
Gill Hardcastle
James Poole, Paul Hopkins, Paul Corbett
The Resurrection
Jesus
Mary
Neil Perkins
Gill Hardcastle
Doomsday
God
Holy Ghost
Jesus
Gabriel
Michael
Peter
Bad Soul
Devil
Good Soul
Devils
Imps
Satan
Richard Main
Paul Corbett
Neil Perkins
Gill Hardcastle, Jo Smith
Dave Clayton
Tony Raby
Fiona Collins
Linda Downing
Claire Hollingsworth
John Bowtell, Paul Hopkins
as above
Ben Poole
Production
Director
Assistant Director
Director of Music
Stage Director
Stage Manager
Props
Stagehands
Wardrobe
Set Construction
Lighting Design
Production Secretary
Front of House
Producer
Assistant to Producer
Keith Ramsay
Simon Clark
Richard Still with thanks to the musicians
Art Walker
Ros Ward
Carolyn Asher
Ali Cormack, Sandra Lowen
Georgina Nurse
Stuart Colquhoun
Dave Dray Q-lights
Gill Hardcastle
Pearl Constance-Main
Richard Main
Donna Capaldi