It promised to be something spectacular. As we took our seats on Friday night for a special early showing of Kynren to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, there was real buzz of expectation.
Ahead of that, we'd arrived in good time, as is advised, at the vast site in Bishop Auckland that is home to the outdoor performance whose full title, Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, gives you a good idea of both the show's ambitions and its scale. A 1,000-strong cast, 37 horses and, as it turns out, quite an assortment of other animals from geese to cattle were about to lead us through 2,000 years of English history, both fact and myth, over a galloping - often quite literally - 90 minutes.
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The show had, I thought, some work to do as I settled in my seat, heaping more layers upon myself to try to keep warm. That early arrival had meant more time than necessary to spend getting chilled to the bone. Be warned for future shows - no matter how many clothes you are wearing or how prepared you are, you will need more of everything - more jackets, hats, blankets, gloves, whatever - quilts if you can carry them - as our English summers are just not be trusted.
Even if it starts out mild that deep chill will set in. Ours had a breeze to go with it, as we found while watching live jazz at the lake - the extra entertainment laid on for the Jubilee show which was a real treat.
Having been put off the huge queue for the main bar outside Kynren's Tribune theatre, we filled in our time with aimless wandering until the show started at 9.15pm. But then, what a show.
One minute, we spot a Viking longship rising from a lake; the next we're immersed in charging horses and jousting. There follow battle scenes then pastoral scenes; fountains and fires. There's the expected focus on royal pageantry, with plenty patriotic red, white and blue for the Jubilee special.
While action scenes are fast and furious, this show is a cohesive whole, with the role of young Arthur being at the heart of its story as the character embarks upon an epic quest and takes us with him on his journey through history.
We're utterly fascinated, our heads turning this way and that as set-pieces get under way simultaneously at opposite ends of the vast site. The music and sound quality are excellent and the production is stunning to look at.
I loved a scene at Henry Vlll's court with dancing ladies on water, their capes moving like butterfly wings; and rising fountains that made huge arches at the centre of which we glimpsed Durham Cathedral's Rose window. Then - during a moving sequence about the First World War Christmas Day truce - we watch projections of barbed wire fade to a burst of poppies.
There's so much more - the Industrial Revolution and our own proud North East history for instance, with the sight of the Locomotion No.1 chugging across the stage - and we know the finale is going to be something special.
It is. It explodes with lasers and lights and a showstopper firework display. This royal celebration ended with the crowd standing to sing God Save The Queen - and then we all stayed on our feet for another unexpected and jolly singalong - The Beatles' All You Need Is Love, by which time a warming glow had managed to spread through us all.
Kynren is a brilliant production and this special outing was indeed a show fit for a queen. Its producer 11Arches was due to follow up on Saturday with another Jubilee celebration - a street party - and then Kynren will be back for its usual annual run on Saturdays from August 6 to September 10. Catch it if you can. And wrap up.
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