St George and the Dragon

I had a rather mixed response from my parents who had been to see this play before me at the National. My dad hated it while my mum loved it and found it very funny. My dad’s final comment when he found out I was going to go see it was “Well if you can understand it please come back and explain it to me afterwards”.

It was shown in three parts, the opening section being your stereotypical knightly George taking on the Dragon. The second then focused on an industrial landscape and the third was set in the modern day. The middle section was probably the slowest of the three but still contained some good elements. The opening section was all you could ask for in an exciting adventure story, Dragon versus Knight, and some of the effects during the battle scene were quite excellent. The final section in modern Britain was very clever, witty and humorous; a fascinating depiction on what it is to be English.

I must admit to being quite a fan of the dragon who was a superbly dastardly villain. His sinister voice and fabulous armour stole the spotlight when he was on stage. Watching the actor creeping from his cave into the wonderful town was a tremendously exciting moment.

All in all the set was interactive and the story rather gripping. It had a good dose of humour thrown in throughout which is always vital. Did I fully understand everything? Well I actually have to admit I didn’t; the play lends itself to various interpretations and is not perhaps for someone who wants a very straightforward, clear-cut tale. But if you don’t mind being left slightly unsure of what exactly was going on and you enjoy a bit of ambiguity I think you will find this a very enjoyable production. I certainly found it so, although I have yet to find out if my dad will be satisfied with my personal interpretations of the story…