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Posted on March 20th 2015
A Chaste Maid in Cheapside at Rose Theatre
After dinner looking over the Thames, discussing world issues, texts and future pathways, a group of year 12 and 13 English literature students went to see ‘A Chaste Maid on Cheapside’ at The Rose Theatre on Bankside.
Written by Thomas Middleton in 1613, the comedy about social mobility and arranged marriages was set very simply with no backdrops and very few props.
The performance space is a platform looking over the archaeological remains of the original Rose Playhouse which is marked out with red LED lights (see picture).
The costume and music played referenced back to the 1950s which allowed the love, deception and rivalry plotlines to resemble similar themes in musicals like ‘Grease’ or ‘West Side Story’.
The cast did an excellent job of delivering the 17th Century language and some of the puns were remarkably understandable. Like when a porter is asked if he lives in Bow and he declares ‘’ All my lifetime, sir; I could ever say "Bow" to a goose’’.
Another highlight was when the staging moved to the flooded sandbank of the ruins which added a dynamic dimension to the chase scene (along the bank of the Thames) in an otherwise restricted acting space.
Whilst this wasn’t a set text, it will be useful in their final exam (a synoptic unit ‘Love Through the Ages’). It was a treat to see a rarely staged play which was once a very popular show on the banks of the Thames and the Harris sixth formers were very appreciative.
Chris Brown, Co-ordinator for Wider Opportunities/Teacher of English
