The Dance of Death at Stratford’s Guild Chapel saw a 500-year-old mural brought to life
THE message that we must all die was given the jolliest dramatisation last Friday and Saturday at Stratford’s Guild Chapel.
A cast of 15, under the direction of guide and historian Pamela Devine, performed the medieval poem, Dance of Death, in the historic chapel in period costume and accompanied by Coranto, musicians who play music from the era.
It was inspired by the Dance of Death poem/mural that adorns the north wall of the chapel, painted over 500 years ago.
The Danse Macabre or Dance of Death is a series of images depicting people from all walks of life being led away by a cadaverous figure personifying Death. Such images were designed to remind people of the fragility of life and the vanities of earthly glories, and that death unites us all. The earliest known examples date to the early 15th century in France. While much of the Guild Chapel painting is fragmentary now, enough remains for it to be identifiable, and by comparing it to other examples an understanding of what it once looked like and the text that would have run alongside it has been established.
Dance of Death is a moralising tale, and its first known appearance as the Danse Macabre was in 1424, exactly 600 years ago.
The poem is a dialogue between Death and a series of characters from all walks of life, and gives an insight into the beliefs and anxieties at the time. The message is that life is fleeting and Death can take you at any time so you must be prepared and live a virtuous life. The poem’s humour comes from Death’s ability to recognise and poke fun at the foibles of humankind.
The shows last weekend was a real community effort overseen by the Stratford Town Trust, who look after the chapel.
Besides cast and musicians, volunteers from the chapel assisted in the background; Janet Palmer helped with the script; Janet Hall acted as prompt; Pat Akins went above and beyond with costumes; director Pamela was assisted by Margot Galvin; while Charlotte Summerskill and Loraine Mitchell acted as producers.
Appropriately enough, the actors, many of whom are involved in amateur dramatics locally, themselves have a variety of professions and backgrounds.
They played the motley assembly of the great and the good with perfect wit and spirit – from king to gardener, greedy abbot to vain woman – who come before Death, as if taking their turn in a dance.
Chaucerian in nature, each mortal tells a bit about themselves (often hilariously and self-pityingly) as they meet Death, brilliantly played by a grim-faced hollow-eyed Steve Bizley, dressed Grim Reaper-style. He did well not to corpse!
For a performance that dealt with shuffling off this mortal coil, it was joyously uplifting, and culminated in a couple of catchy tunes, including The Worms Song – which finds we are all worm food in the end.
The delightful evening was a reminder of Stratford’s deep heritage, and that what connects us – life and inevitably death – binds us and makes us stronger.
