THE consistently brilliant Imaginarium make themselves right at home in their new local; it might as well have been made just for them.
For the uninitiated, Imaginarium is a theatre and community arts organisation that has been proudly based in Prescot for decades. Now deservedly an associate company of the Shakespeare North Playhouse, their latest production, Strange Tale, is the third to take to the venue’s authentic Cockpit Theatre - and it’s such a delight to see them make the most of it.
The show reunites Imaginarium with playwright Rob Brannen. Previous collaborations include The Yarn and Grace and the Sea, also large ensemble pieces about place and community - this however is arguably their most ambitious yet, creating an alternative Prescot with a hidden time slip that catapults William Shakespeare into the present day, among other weird and wonderful happenings.
It’s a love letter to the town, its people, and The Bard, of course, inspired by the real life ‘missing years’ in Shakespeare’s life story and links to Knowsley that have spurred on regeneration in the area. This gives Brennan and the ensemble much to work with, and it’s all a very natural fit. As with all Imaginarium productions, the ensemble gleefully own the stage; “We’re on the rise, to your surprise/ We’ll cling to this belief”, is the rally cry. The positivity is infectious, the audience on side (literally). The joy the performers bring to normalising the language of Shakespeare, and convincingly making it relevant for everyone, organically creates the kind of engagement money can’t buy.
Kristian Lawrence is pitch perfect as a confused Shakespeare trying to find his way in two different worlds. Hannah McGowan and Ty Mather are a hoot as discombobulated actors Gen and Viv, perhaps themselves a nod to Shakespearean comic relief like Dogberry and Verges. Their scene performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in two minutes to a Spotify playlist is a creative highlight in a play fizzing with fresh ideas and crammed with gags, saucy innuendo and good natured fun. There is much to enjoy in seeing the cast, mostly amateur, rise to the (not insignificant) challenge.
Strange Tale is a merry mash up of many things - professional and amateur, historic and modern, old and young, high and low brow, and (naturally) comedy and tragedy. It throws a lot at the audience, but Gaynor La Rocca’s direction steers a steady course through a rich and complex plot.
Rob Brannen’s script combines classic text with convincing modern dialogue, yet there are scenes in Strange Tale that suggest more of a devised, team effort as well. A year in the making, the pride and hard work that went into Strange Tale showed. Free programmes and play texts were snapped up in moments from an audience hungry for more. The Shakespeare North Playhouse really couldn’t wish for better representatives than Imaginarium.
