Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, Bishop Auckland Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Jo Hardy
The first season of this live outdoor show was in 2016, initially funded by charitable donations but since then has run from the previous year’s takings, it is performed on a seven and a half acre stage with a cast and crew of hundreds most, of which are volunteers and features many live animals.
Billed as an Epic tale of England, a 2000 year history of England from Roman Times I was intrigued to see how this would be done in 90 minutes.
I was expecting a show in a field but wow this is a full on professional production from start to finish.
My allocated parking was in the town which was quite a way from the venue but shuttle bus transfer is available, quite a queue had formed when I parked, but exactly on time four double decker buses arrived and there was more than enough room for everyone, the journey to the arena took about ten minutes and we were dropped off very near to the entrance
Once through the ticket booth/security check there is a few minute’s walk to the catering area with plenty of picnic bench style seating. There were a lot of people, it holds 8000 people and I estimate it would have been more or less full. The catering booths were very well organised and got through the volume of customers very quickly, the staff were lovely all very cheerful. I had a veg chilli, it was delicious and a very good portion size.
I shared a bench with a local family and like everyone else I came in contact with they were so friendly and chatty and this created such a lovely warm atmosphere to the whole event.
There were plenty of toilets available, a smoking area and a place to refill water bottles, all areas were beautifully maintained and spotlessly clean.
I had time before the show started to visit the Viking Village, there was a long queue but it was moving fast. When I got through the entrance all a could see was a sea of people in front of me. It was so packed I could barely move and had no chance of seeing any of the exhibits. I didn’t feel comfortable with so many people packed into a confined area so came out.
Instead of seeing the Viking Village I got an ice cream. As I said earlier this event is run mainly by volunteers and I was half joking when I asked the ladies in the ice cream booth if they would be running over to take part in the show when the booth closed, but they said yes, they would and a couple of ladies had already gone to get their costumes on. They were all so enthusiastic about the show and clearly loving the part they played in it and telling me about all the other family members that were volunteers.
The stadium style seating was a little cramped but I think every seat would have a good view of the action and the scene before us was beautiful, rolling hills, a real church/cathedral in the background, some prop buildings in the foreground and a body of water between the audience and the buildings. It was a beautiful summers evening and I was so excited for the show to begin.
The show starts with a young boy complaining that nothing ever happens in Bishop Auckland, he is then taken on a journey through history showing him all the things that have happened in his town and in our country. To say it brings history to life would be a massive understatement.
We are taken seamlessly from one part of history to another there is always something happening, the scenes are visually dramatic with lots of special effects and pyrotechnics, a huge cast and lots of live animals. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t been by telling you too much about the show, I want you to experience it for yourself. There are lots of surprises, the narration is very clear, the lighting excellent, the costumes and props are amazing and the firework finale is just wonderful.
You won’t be disappointed.
The show is on every Saturday from 27th July to 14th Sept start times vary as the season progresses linked to the time of the sunset. The show starts just as the sun is setting and ends in complete darkness.
Ticket prices start at £27 for adults and £17 for children, parking is £7 and 2 way shuttle bus is £3 and can be purchased from https://www.11arches.com/
Bear in mind this is an outdoor event and the show goes on whatever the weather so take appropriate clothing, even on a summers night it gets cool when the sun goes down.
Rating: 5/5