A Kingdom of Fools
Writer / Producer / Director: Ryan Atkins
Eternity Theatre, Darlinghurst
16 July – 26 July, 2026
Erupting onto the Eternity stage, A Kingdom of Fools is a hilarious medieval farce, written and directed by Ryan Atkins, in which two aristocrats unscrupulously try to annex a village as a country retreat for the king, leading to some madly funny results.
King John has sent Sir William Drakeford (Yarno Rohling) and his knight, Sir Guy Ashcombe (Brendan Atkins), to occupy the village of Gotham, ostensibly for use as a hunting lodge. This is not to the liking of the villagers who attempt a somewhat ham-handed plan to foil the nobles. Comedic chaos of a high order ensues, with enough silly plotting, slapstick entrances and pratfalls to satisfy the most ardent Monty Python fan.
While the flustered publican Mildreth (Meredith Welch) tries to get things shipshape, the nobles arrive. Soon there’s plenty of falling about and hitches as the characters rush about in excitement. They all must negotiate recalcitrant doorways, someone regularly goes through a wall and gets stuck, then there is Sir Guy’s bug-like dilemma of getting back on his feet from a supine position, wearing a full suit of armour. Alfric (Ryan Atkins) cannot negotiate the doorways, with his head and hands in stocks which can’t be unlocked. Not only do malfunctioning costumes cause hiccups, but the floors have holes and pictures refuse to stay on the walls.
This is all with a full complement of other medieval tavern hazards to negotiate, such as lustful barmaid Ethelfleda (Nala Davies), intent on romancing any man she can lay her hands on, the taverner Gerd (Lachlan Atkins) who has the disconcerting habit of fainting at the smallest shock, and that old stalwart Simple Thomas (Alex Hutchinson-Smith), the village idiot. The bewildered lords get caught up in the mayhem and the craziness hypes up a few more notches, till eventually Father Godric (Arnold Walsh) is called in to calm things down.
Medieval authenticity is well served by the set and costuming of Nicholas You Lee and Lachlan Atkins. The set is a suitably well-worn backwoods tavern, with rickety furniture, punctured walls and sticky doors. The costumes for the lords are particularly striking – the Duke wears beautiful red velvet, and the knight’s armour looks like the genuine article, while the taverners are suitably shabby, as befits their low status.
A Kingdom of Fools is a breath of fresh air in these dreary winter days, the madcap energy and comedic silliness reminding us that everyone needs a touch of madness sometimes, and the merry cast of Fools certainly provides it.
