Knightmare Live – Level 2 at The Lowry, Manchester Review
Knightmare Live – Level 2
The Lowry, Manchester
28 October 2014
Reviewed by Cathy Porteus
Many of us will have fond memories of the TV show Knightmare, where a child with a bucket on their head would be guided through an imaginary dungeon by other children, only to be cruelly slaughtered by goblins or other baddies. Perhaps it doesn’t sound much fun on paper but trust me, it was good at the time. The classic TV show has now been revived for a comedy stage show, aimed at retro loving 30-somethings who wish to relive their youth.
Knightmare Live – Level 2 was presented by the goodie dungeon master Treguard and the baddie Lord Fear. I particularly enjoyed Lord Fear’s hilarious introduction, which helped get the audience in a pantomime mood as well as going some way to explaining the concept to anyone who may have missed the original Knightmare programme. The crowd were clearly in the move for a laugh and the show gave them plenty of opportunities.
The participants in the game change for each show, to ensure that they don’t already know the plot. This does mean that the performance will vary and hopefully stay fresh but also meant key parts of the performance were determined by an audience volunteer (who donned the bucket style helmet) and guest comedians (who guided the dungeoneer). At points this meant that the show rather slowed to a halt. The actors generally managed though to keep it moving and acknowledged the odd awkward pause, making the crowd laugh along rather than getting bored.
Knightmare Live – Level 2 is a new show making it ideal for fans who may have already seen the previous stage show at an earlier performance. The plot works its way up the three levels of the dungeon, much like the levels of a computer game. The stage set was simple, with 3 ‘doors’ for the explorer to go through. These were actually black curtains and as both Lord Fear and our explorer were tall, they caught every time either of them went through them. This was either really poor design or a deliberate joke, I wasn’t sure which, but it slowed down the action and could easily have been solved by the set being made a foot higher.
Top marks from me went to the actress playing Pickle, the unpopular gnome, who brought many of the biggest laughs simply by adopting the irritating pose familiar to viewers of the TV show, as well as ad lobbing when necessary. I also liked the dragon who appeared in the second level, this looked almost scary and was the best piece of the set for me.
Overall, it was an enjoyable evening and I would recommend the show to other people who remember the programme fondly.
Rating: 4/5
Knightmare Live – Level 2 is currently on tour. For more details visit www.knightmarelive.com.
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, Manchester, M50 3AZ | 0843 208 6000
