The Prince and the Pauper has long been a staple of children’s bedtimes so the cast from Newman’s Art College had to satisfy not only children’s expectations but their parents’ as well. From the noises coming from everyone at the end, the cast managed to succeed on both counts. Their rapid, tongue-in-cheek adaptation of Mark Twain’s book was delivered with enough wit to satisfy viewers of all ages, and provide a worthwhile lunch break.
For those unfamiliar with the plot here goes, Prince Edward, bored of his sheltered life in the palace, finds a ruffian who looks identical to him. They swap costumes, then struggle to escape various escapades. The cast find a lot of humour in the fish-out-of-water scenario, with Prince Edward notably struggling to choke down London’s finest meals. Meanwhile his counterpart battles with changing his Cockney twang to Received Pronunciation, while also learning that people don’t lick plates in civilized company. Of the other characters the dashing gentleman Miles also entertained.
The humour is suitably broad and the children around me all had fits of the giggles, their parents even more so. There are plenty of wordplay gags – the Royal ‘Seal’ in particular drew plenty of belly laughs, and the physical acting adds a good dose of slapstick for good measure. There are a few jokes for the parents as well that pass well over younger heads. While sometimes I thought there were too many of those, the plot moves rapidly and never gets bogged down, with musical interludes in between scenes adding a touch of variety. Using minimal props and lighting changes, and relying on sheer humour, eyes were entranced until the final curtain.
