Geoffrey Chaucer's
The Canterbury Tales
a new version by Mike Poulton
Until Sat 20 March (UK tour follows)

A fresh take on Chaucer's masterpiece has been receiving rave reviews at Staffordshire's theatre-in-the-round.

The riotous New Vic/Northern Broadsides production of The Canterbury Tales has been playing to wide acclaim with national critics calling the piece 'stunning', 'ravishing' and 'sublime'.

Stunning: The New Vic/Northern Broadsides production of
The Canterbury Tales. Image by Nobby Clark

Conrad Nelson, who had the critics raving with his portrayal of Iago in the recent hit tour of Othello, is directing the celebrated Broadsides team in Mike Poulton's new reworking of the medieval caper.

The Tabard Inn, London, sometime in the fourteenth century. A motley group of individuals – Knight, Cook, Miller, Squire, Wife and more - gather for their pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral. On the way, they regale each other with colourful tales to pass the time of day and thus unfolds one of the greatest collections of stories ever told.

First toured by the RSC to rapturous reviews, Poulton's adaptation has been revamped specially for the co-production. 

A cast of 16 features the talents of At Home with the Braithwaites actress Ishia Bennison (as the Wife of Bath) who became a household name in the Eighties as Guizin Ozman, one of the first Eastenders cast members; The Secret Diary of a Call Girl’s Emily Butterfield (Nun); and Richard Standing (Yeoman), known to millions as Coronation Street’s Danny Hargreaves, last seen in Broadsides’ production of Othello.

A fine creative team includes puppeteer Lee Threadgold, who recently pulled the strings on the acclaimed Heidi: A Goat’s Tail, and in-the-round expert, New Vic Designer Lis Evans.

Premiering at the New Vic, until Saturday 20 March, The Canterbury Tales will embark on a 10-venue national tour.

Tickets for New Vic performances, which cost £8.50– £17.50 (concessions available), can be booked by calling the New Vic’s Box Office on 01782 717962 or online by visiting our book online page.