Helen Brown takes a dramatic historical journey with Bishop Auckland’s brave new world

Kynren – An Epic Tale of England: Bishop Auckland

SATURDAY night was Press Night for this massive open-air event, due for its world-premiere opening night to the public on July 2. With the promise of a 90-minute live action night show for up to 8,000 audience per night that covers 2,000 year of English (and Scottish) history, with spectacular special effects and a stage, the size of quite a few football pitches, complete with lake – who could fail to be excited?

The Eleven Arches project is part of endearing philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer’s vision. Ruffer purchased Auckland Castle along with the land below it, spending millions of pounds setting up various charities to fulfil its ambition to become a national tourist destination. The inspiration for Kynren came from Puy du Fou’s acclaimed night show Cinéscénie, launched in France in 1978. Ruffer admired the company and their ethos and in 2013 he set the wheels in motion to explore a British version employing the talented artistic director and president of Puy du Fou, Phillipe de Villiers.

Before we get to the performance review itself, the site needs a little explanation. At 7.5 acres it’s huge and for more than ten months, a crew of 200 from construction and specialist production companies have been on site day and night moving tons of earth sculpting an impressive complex, the size of a small village. And it’s not finished yet with car-parking, lighting and other facilities still to be put in place before the opening night.

Access for everyone is through one entrance, so expect congestion on the roads and with insufficient parking on site for the expected audience, extra parking will be available in the town itself. Parking is extra and must be booked in advance and please be warned it’s a good ten-minute walk from the site entrance down to the performance area and it’ll be uphill on the way back.

So, did I enjoy the show? The answer is yes and no. From a comfortable seat on the open-air stand (thank God it didn’t rain because the organisers have banned umbrellas) the performance area is enormous with bridges and a natural-looking lake. An imposing Auckland Castle sits high above the performance area providing a beautiful, if a little forlorn, backdrop.

The show starts with Arthur, a ten-year-old boy, kicking a football across the set. Pretending to be Stanley Matthews he accidentally kicks his ball, smashing the window of the hunting lodge in the grounds of Auckland Castle, where he encounters Bishop Hensley Henson who urges him to think beyond football and offers to take him on a journey through British history. The 1,000 strong cast entirely made up of volunteers are magnificent, but there’s not much real acting going on, it’s rather like synchronised swimming on land.

Special effects are impressive with surprises galore. Boats appear from directly underneath the lake; holograms project giant images into thin air and all sorts of jaw-dropping technical trickery takes place. The cast, affectionately called The Archers, are well-rehearsed; sound effects are tremendous, although the lip-syncing throughout is a little tiresome making it difficult to tell who is actually speaking. There were a few glitches and minor technical problems, which I’m sure will all be fixed before the public get to see the show.

The horses are amazing, and all 33 of them upstaged everyone and everything pulling chariots, ploughs, carrying warriors, soldiers and knights in full armour.

While the show itself is visually stunning the script has a little too much ham and cheese and lacks a sense of humour. It is style over substance made up of choreographed historical events, some of which are totally invented like Queen Elizabeth I meeting William Shakespeare in Auckland Castle.

There are 23 scenes to get through in 90 minutes, so it’s no wonder it’s difficult to connect with the action. Pretty young washerwomen, neatly-dressed children and shepherdesses with real sheep, ducks and the most beautiful of pygmy goats populate the set giving the impression that the North-East was full of happy people. In reality, times were tough for the miners and farmers. It wasn’t all border raiders and Prince Bishops fighting for privilege and land. I think the writers missed a few tricks like including a bit of slapstick from Stan Laurel, who lived in Bishop Auckland for a short period – a decent pie fight would have added the missing humour.

The fireworks were good, but not outstanding, and why the organisers didn’t spend a few extra quid on lighting Auckland Castle for the finale beats me. A lot of folk will love this production and some, like me, will be a little frustrated at the lack of a decent script; but it can only get better and I’m sure it will.

Full performance details and ticket information at elevenarches.org