Despite being listed as required reading for British Literature I and translated into numerous languages in many different ways, Geoffrey Chaucer’s medieval novel “The Canterbury Tales” has yet to be read by many college students. According to Binghamton alum, Tom Beyer, the 14th century work is “one of those books – like the Bible – that everybody knows, but no one remembers.”
Fortunately for Binghamton students, a new production of this classical literary canon, adapted and directed by Beyer, ‘88, is set to debut on the Binghamton University Main Stage tonight, giving new life to the stories of old and infusing it with a dose of unforgettable wit, humor and originality.
Set in late 14th century England, the narration follows a group of pilgrims and chronicles the stories they share while journeying to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Through their respective tales, each pilgrim presents a different perspective of life in medieval England, often characterizing themselves and one other in stereotypical, yet hilarious ways. Among these characters are a solemn friar, an out-of-commission knight, a drunken miller, a multiply-divorced wife from Bath (a town in England), a pre-vow nun, and the hostess of an inn.
Presented through a third-person narrative, the tale incorporates Chaucer as both author and participant, a combination that when performed on stage, puts him in a position to act within the novel’s rules while also breaking the theatrical fourth wall.
A cross between a third-person narrative, a sketch comedy and tongue-in-cheek social commentary, Beyer’s interpretation of “The Canterbury Tales”stands out as more than just a tale about pilgrims with a lot of time on their hands, presenting endless potential for a series of humorous insights into the childishness behind our own journeys and dreams.