On Saturday we went to the press preview night of Kynren in Bishop Auckland. I have seen it advertised the last few years and have always wanted to go but have never quite managed it. Completely kicking myself now because it was utterly fabulous, and we have been missing out!
It’s a huge, HUGE outdoor production with a cast of almost a thousand. It really is the true meaning of the word ‘epic’.
The show depicts the history of England over the last 2000 years, covering everything from the Vikings, William the Conqueror, the civil war, the Industrial Revolution, the World Wars, and women’s suffrage. I particularly liked he segment dedicated to Shakespeare.
I really can’t state enough just how good it was. It was truly incredible!
We were very unlucky with the weather in that it rained all night, as well as being unseasonably cold for July, so definitely pack some waterproofs if the forecast is looking a bit iffy. It is a testament to just how good it was that this didn’t ruin the evening for us (though if I’m honest I would rather have had a dry night!). They do sell ponchos there so if you haven’t brought one and it does rain it might be an idea to buy one!
This moving church scene made the most of the rainy weather!
Now that you have an idea of just how fabulous I thought it was, let me tell you a bit about the practicalities. There are food stalls available and they serve before the performance but not during as far as I’m aware. So it’s a good idea to get there a bit earlier so you can have something to eat. The prices were very reasonable, especially considering they have a captive audience! You can see what’s available and the prices here:
We pretty much tried everything from the mac and cheese, the chili and rice, the Southern fried chicken bites and the chips. I’d recommend everything except the chips! The rain didn’t help here and the chips got cold quite quickly.
There is a Viking village to look around before the show, with lots of authentic looking Vikings doing various Vikingy things!
We saw a sword fight, a forge and Vikings doing various crafts.
Once you’ve eaten and walked around the Viking village, it’s time to take your seat. Seats are priced differently depending on where they are in the row. Obviously the middle seats are the most expensive and get the best view. But really I think you would have a pretty good view wherever you were.
We definitely plan to return next year. In fact, I would love to return later in the summer and do it all over again. It’s one of those shows where you there is so much going on that you would see something different each time.
The finale was magnificent and reminiscent of the end of last night of the proms with Union jacks, fireworks and the Land of Hope and Glory playing – very patriotic! In fact, it was all magnificent. Such clever use of lighting, music, water and pyrotechnics. I can’t emphasise enough just how much we loved it and I’m sure you would too.
We were invited along to the press preview. As always all opinions expressed are my own.
