The Christmas Revels
Stage direction by Patrick Swanson. Musical direction by George Emlen. Sets by Jeremy Barnett. Costumes by Heidi Anne Hermiller. Lighting by David H. Rosenburg. Sound design by William Winn. Choreography by Judy Erickson. With David Coffin, Ken Baltin, Jim Klimek, John Sarrouf, Jayne Tankersley, Walter Locke, Olivia Rizzo, Jennifer Bliss, David Torrey, the Queen’s Masque, King Henry’s Joust, the Nipperkin Waites, the Pinewoods Morris Men, the Hampton Court Chorus, the Cambridge Symphonic Brass, the Yonge Blaydes, and Will Kemp’s Nine Daies Wonder. At Sanders Theatre through December 30.

Reader, since for the great desire I hadTo see the Revels’ Tudor England play,At Sanders Theatre I did arrive,Where first stout Henry VIII, then Good Queen BessO’er Hampton Court’s festivities do preside.

What joyful noise of revelry in mine ears!

What cheery sight of Yule log in mine eyes!

Bluff Hal (good Walter Locke) and, as his Queen,

The proud Ann Bullen (fair Olivia Rizzo)

Bid divers pleasing entertainments from

The Master of the Revels (John Sarrouf),

Whose task it is to while away the hours

Of winter dark and gloom with song and dance

While daring not (what’s in a word?) to breach

The royal ears with aught of " pope " and " rope, "

" Marriage, " " divorce, " " annulment, " even " wife "

( " I did not mean the Spanish wife, Your Majesty " ).

" Axe " least of all. Of fool’ry there be much,

With young Will Kemp (Jim Klimek) bold to ask,

" At least I’m paid to be a fool — are you? "

Such singing: " Blessed Be That Maid Marie, "

And then " The Old Yeare Now Away Is Fled, "

And " Westron Wynde When Wylle Thou Blow " ;

E’en music from John Taverner’s Western Wind

The Hampton Court performs (no easy thing).

King Henry’s own " Hélas Madame " (for Ann?),

The holly and the ivy, running deer,

Fools quoting Shakespeare ere the Bard appear.

Almans and galliards and martial morris dances

And children come a-wassailing, so delightfully

To be seen.

A pause: our time runs on to Shakespeare’s day,

Where Queen Elizabeth (sweet Jenny Bliss)

Holds court surrounded by her virtuous ladies

Of whom one, alway whispering to her wight,

Will not long (I’ll avouch’t) remain a maid.

Enow hath Bess of puns and semifreddo,

She wants her evening sport: a play’s the thing,

But nothing by the young and trendy Bard,

That over-rated jewel of the avant-garde.

Something traditional, with dragon green.

(Can holy St. George be too often seen?)

The Master of the Revels is not amused:

The Nine Daies Wonder of Will Kemp (Ken Baltin),

His morris dance from London Town to Norwich,

Is not complete. Time for the appetizers.

" A Christmas Carroll " from Thomas Ravenscroft

Sung as an antiphon, and in the dark.

The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, ghostly silent;

Courantes and rounds and canons (Byrd and Tallis),

Pavanes and Bess’s favourite sort of galliard,

Lavolta, where the lusty lady’s lifted

Athwart her partner’s thigh. Jayne Tankersley

Sings Virginally; the doughty children play

At being Roman soldiers. Presently

Will Kemp returns, array’d in silver and white,

And with a brave caparison’d steed bedight

To take the role of George the Red Cross Knight

And meet the three-part Worm in mortal fight.

But hold! Queen Bess’s jousting rules must out:

The Dragon and St. George are hedg’d about

Lest aught take hurt. With weapons, then without,

Till George prevails — the battle’s soon a rout.

His parting dance with death’s another tale:

No doctor’s skill can cure what doth him ail

But fear not evil on this shortest day:

A touch of spring’s wand drives the dark away.

So may you count your blessings by the score:

While Bess the hedge continues to explore

(She thinks there has to be a second door),

The Revels cast will wish you more and more.

Issue Date: December 20-27, 2001

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