The Canterbury Tales or
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Flying Circus

By Burton Bumgarner
Cast: Flexible cast of 15-60
Set: Representative sets
Time: About 90 minutes
Pioneer Drama Service

Many believe that Chaucer’s literary masterpiece revolutionized English literature. Now you can revolutionize the study of this challenging literature by tossing in a good helping of Monty Python-styled humor to create this incredibly silly yet educational comedy. You’ll meet many of the pilgrims whose tales are most likely to be studied in high school (along with a few Thanksgiving pilgrims that ended up in the wrong play!), including the knight, the miller, the parson, the pardoner, the nun’s priest and the friar. Even the wife of Bath has cleaned up her act for this adaptation and is now a nagging woman who sells self-help DVDs! The miller, too, makes an appearance, though nobody wants to hear anything he has to say! Game show host Alex of Trebek and talk show host King Larry contribute a huge dose of additional irreverent fun, as do Geoffrey Chaucer himself, Harry Bailey and his wife, the Stage Manager and the Sign Changer. For a shorter performance, one or more of the tales can be omitted. No matter how many tales you choose to include, you’ll be amazed just how much real knowledge both your cast and audience will absorb while enjoying this hysterical, screwball comedy.