photo credit: Peter Roberts

It isn’t every weekend you get invited to be part of a boat regatta with a group of actors …

I ventured south through the Somerset countryside with a friend and found LangFest18 (the Langport Festival). Another friend was performing with a local entertainers: The Langport Mummers.  They’re a vibrant, colourful troupe who act traditional Mumming plays, peppered with contemporary twists and humour – accessible for young and old.

On Sunday afternoon they performed Alfred and the Viking in-front of a backdrop of trees by the river Parrett. The play was full of cracking one-liners and comical moments. The highlight had to be when King Alfred, their local hero, caught a frying-pan of cakes on fire and the cider-drinking character ‘Geezer’ promptly extinguished the flames by *urinating on it (improvised, of course).

When the performers bowed and the audience finished applauding, the troupe gathered on a wooden boat and sailed downstream, taking me and my friend with them. I had never travelled on a boat with a jester, a raven and a viking before. It felt very majestic, and slightly surreal. The piercing shrill of bagpipes filled the air as we followed dozens of canoeists who gracefully led the way and onlookers waved us past.

A big thank you to the Mummers, and especially to ‘Geezer,’ for inviting us on-board. That was a fun afternoon LangFest18…

*no real urine was used in the performance

photo credit: Peter Roberts

photo credit: Peter Roberts