Nursery rhymes inspire in theatre skit night
Paul Murphy
Campion Theatre Society President
Nursery rhymes was the theme of Campion Theatre Society’s annual Skit Night for 2021 - with a bit of a twist.
Separated into smaller groups, society members have been hard at work crafting and rehearsing six original skits in between their studies over the semester. The performance was held on Saturday 15 May outside in the crisp autumn air.
The first skit was called Well, Well, Well, and told the tale of Jack and Jill going to fetch a pail of water. However in this story, the well was no ordinary well but the wishing well of a wizard. Refusing to listen to the warnings of his sister, Jack wishes to be king. Things don’t turn out as he hoped, and Jack eventually falls down and breaks his crown.
The second skit, Soul Searching, was the story of a mother who lived in a shoe with three mischievous mice and one adventurous egg. The philosophical Humpty questions the meaning of his existence, resulting in him climbing a wall and falling to pieces. The mice search for Humpty but are lured in by the words and radical musical tunes of the Pied Piper. Their foolishness leads them astray and they become blinded to their true purpose.
The third skit told The Tale of Tom Tom the piper's son, who stole his family's prized pig and ran away. He spends many years trying to find his way back home, and comes across many strange scenarios along the journey.
Baking Bad asked, through the words of Little Boy Blue, “why does a gingerbread man need gumdrop buttons?” This skit explored how the gingerbread man came to life, incorporating other fairytale characters like Old McDonald, Little Bo Beep, the Golden Goose, Humpty Dumpty, The Big Bad Wolf, the Muffin Man, Peppa Pig and others. This skit was a whirlwind of narratives all intertwined to create a very engaging tale.
In We Refuse To Spoon Feed, an Owl and a Pussycat are shipwrecked, and wash up on the island of the Bong Trees where they meet a few remarkable individuals; most mysteriously, the Runcible. This skit was a beautiful blend of drama, suspense and ambiguity, and left the audience questioning exactly what had happened.
The final skit was a very British story, full of tea and royalty. This tale explores what happens when Chancellor Charles receives the news that London Bridge has fallen down, which he believes to be code for ‘the Queen is dead’. On inspecting the Queen’s Will a group of candidates are called together, with the likes of The Grand Old Duke of York, Prince Charming and Mary Quite Contrary, to try and find out who the next monarch will be.
The night played out well, thanks to the carefully crafted props and hard work from the backstage crew, as well as the enthusiasm and energy of the actors. Theatre Society executive would like to thank the members for their hard work in pulling off a huge event, and for our fellow students in the audience for supporting and enjoying the night.
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