Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a fourteenth century chivalric romance in Middle English verse and is one of the best-known Arthurian stories describing how Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from the mysterious Green Knight to strike him with an axe, if he will take a return blow in a year and day. Gawain beheads him, the Green Knight then picking up his head and disappearing, having reminded Sir Gawain of his pledge.
Director Kelly Ann Stewart says in a programme note how much she enjoys “medieval fantasy literature” as well as a story that “takes someone ‘ordinary’ and puts them in the ‘extra-ordinary’“. In this C21 version John Gawain, about as exciting as an office stapler, is given the ‘sack’ rather brutally just before cybersecurity firm Camelot Corp’s Christmas Party because he refuses to use the Medieval name which the Corp gives all its staff.
The production boasts a strikingly imaginative white set designed by Simon Nicholas featuring working lift doors centre stage and 96 large filing cabinet style drawers ranked either side in an ‘L’ shape. Some of these are permanently open at various levels and are used to sit or stand on, Ciéranne Kennedy-Bell’s costumes, especially the Green Knight himself, are always apt and Kezia Tomsett’s sound, which includes Shaun Chambers’ menacing voiceover of Merlin, is very convincing.
It is obvious that the cast of four work extremely hard to get everything possible out of the script. Laura Pujos as Gwynne (i.e. Guinevere) is the most successful in building a believable three-dimensional role and is the character the audience finds it easiest with which to empathise. She also exhibits an attractive singing voice. Cara Steele plays Arthur/Dryad with a hard edge, and Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson makes an impressive Green Knight. He has a very powerful voice which could do with reigning back in the intimate space of Park 90 but one can certainly not accuse him of failing to project his role!
Felix Grainger is lowly, put-upon, Gawain, suddenly catapulted from photocopying into a world of adventure, temptation and heroic quests as he searches for the legendary Green Chapel – and his destiny.
In fact playwrights Felix Grainger and Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson have managed to keep remarkably close to the original medieval poem in their modern retelling and Kelly Ann Stewart’s direction is suitably pacy and tongue in cheek, all four actors taking their tasks extremely seriously.
Act Two seems better written than Act One – it is certainly much more amusing once Gawain sets out on his quest after the interval with Pythonesque humour which is often very funny, whereas much of the first hour of the play seems laboured.
Undemanding hokum for a light-hearted and festive evening out!
Review by John Groves
Join Gawain, the ultimate office everyman – diligent, dependable, and about as exciting as a stapler – as he prepares to attend the Christmas party of his eccentric workplace, Camelot Corp: a company of knights that offers the best cyber-security service, fit for a king.
Gawain, the long-suffering nine-to-fiver desperate to prove himself, thinks tonight might be his final chance of getting that long-overdue promotion, and more importantly, conjuring up the courage to ask out his workplace crush. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, it turns out, a lot! When a mysterious green figure gatecrashes the party and challenges the employees to a deadly game, it is hard-working Gawain who rises to the challenge. Suddenly he is catapulted from photocopying into a world of adventure, temptation and heroic quests, as he searches for the legendary Green Chapel – and his destiny.
Felix Grainger – Writer and Gawain
Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson – Writer and Lance/Green Knight
Cara Steele – Arthur/Dryad
Laura Pujos – Gwynne/Hetty
Shaun Chambers – Voiceover of Merlin
Kelly Ann Stewart – Director
Simon Nicholas – Set Designer
Caitlin MacGregor – Lighting Designer, Operator and Stage Manager
Kezia Tomsett – Composer and Sound Designer
Ciéranne Kennedy-Bell – Costume Designer
GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
Park Theatre
10 to 24 December 2025
