I wondered if Cervello would be able to top last year's Canterbury ****tails, and I have to say, yes he did. There were times during the show that I completely forgot I was watching a 21st-century young man in his twenties, and became enthralled by this middle-aged medieval mistress of mariage. I have read the Wife of Bath's Tale many times, but Cervello plumbed depths of the text I had never fully connected with. Who knew this bawdy character could elicit such profound sympathy from a modern audience? Cervello's costuming was, as ever, beautiful, and the puppets he used for telling of the actual tale added both a fairy-tale quality and genuine pathos.
With regard to the middle English dialect, one can see the show without any preparation and enjoy it thoroughly, as Cervello's interpretation is clear and precise. If, however, you want a little help, read the sheet that is handed out before the show, and that should help you with the basics of English as it was spoken before the "great vowel shift" of the 15th century transformed our language into modern English. On the other hand, if you feel like reading the Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale before you see the show, it will be time well spent. I'm going to re-read it before I see the show again on Tuesday.
