The List Festival: 13 Aug 2015 (70/108)

FESTIVAL KIDS | Reviews

THE TAP DANCING MERMAID Puppetry and storytelling by the seashore ●●●●●

If you drew up a checklist of all the things a good children’s show should contain, The Tap Dancing Mermaid would tick every box. A colourful set, an engaging story told simply and clearly, characters worthy of emotional investment, and just the right amount of audience participation.

Delivering all this is solo performer Tessa Bide, whose warm, friendly style leads us gently but confidently through the tale.

Banned from tap dancing at home by her increasingly unpleasant aunt (ingeniously made from an old lampshade and kitchen utensils), Marina Skippett takes her talented footwork to the local jetty. There, she meets Leo the merman, who teaches Marina about his underwater world, its stories and songs (one of which we join in on, with ukulele accompaniment).

Meanwhile, the moon – our trusty narrator via a recorded voiceover – watches over Marina and us, not only ensuring we never lose track of the story, but providing a magical ending. This is Bide’s first time to strike out on her own, and it’s an

auspicious start. A fine puppeteer, and competent tap dancer, she also has a knack for encouraging audience involvement in a funny, natural way. Sometimes Bide plays Marina herself, then switches the character to an identically dressed puppet once things become sea-bound. Manipulating both our tap dancing heroine, and Leo her

merman pal, simultaneously with skill and precision, Bide never lets the pace drop. While the jetty itself, with its hard wooden floor, is the perfect platform for Marina to don her tap shoes and get hoofing.

A mixed audience of boys and girls, both equally engaged by the tale, proved that while the show’s title may hint at Disney- esque tweeness, this is a show for all to enjoy. (Kelly Apter) ■ Summerhall, 560 1581, until 30 Aug (not 18, 25), 11.05am, £8 (£6).

THE FALCON’S MALTESER BY ANTHONY HOROWITZ Fun adaptation of popular detective tale ●●●●● ANATOMY OF THE PIANO (FOR BEGINNERS) ●●●●● Fascinating and fun voyage inside the piano

Anthony Horowitz has no shortage of fans, particularly of his six Diamond Brothers books. Which, on the plus side, means New Old Friends theatre company has a ready-made audience – but equally piles on the pressure to live up to the original. Will Pickvance knows his way around the piano. Literally. Not only is he a seriously talented player, he also carries an impressive knowledge of the instrument’s history and physical make up. All of which he imparts during this sometimes silly, often engaging, but always interesting hour.

Happily, this humorous adaptation takes all the From Bach to Beethoven to Fats Waller,

best bits from Horowitz’s novel, then adds to it. Alongside the odd minor narrative tweak, there are a few good songs, and an awful lot of doors opening and closing. A cast of four fine actors busy themselves playing 20 different roles, taking us to a dizzying amount of different locations. For those unfamiliar with the plot – well , you’ll

just have to go and see the show, because it’s far too complicated to go into here. Suffice to say, in a fast-paced hour you’ll encounter a very inept private detective, his far cleverer 13-year-old brother, a cast of international criminals, and a box of chocolate- covered honeycomb treats. Plus two dead bodies and some missing diamonds. The Falcon’s Malteser is everything the title suggests – light, fun and very silly. (Kelly Apter) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 31 Aug (not 17, 24), 2pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10).

68 THE LIST FESTIVAL 13–20 Aug 2015

Pickvance charts the progression from Klavier to modern-day piano. Using (intentionally) bad cartoons and famous compositions to illustrate his point, he describes the evolutionary process that got us where we are today.

There’s much here for young piano-players, and their supportive (but perhaps not knowledgeable) grown-ups, to learn – and Pickvance’s superb, and incredibly fast playing is inspirational in itself. Especially when he opens the piano up (or takes off its ‘skin’ as he says) and lets us see the frantic inner workings as he pounds the keys. At times it feels as though Pickvance’s physicality,

and his vocal delivery, could use a shot of exuberance to lift the energy in the room, but there’s always enough to hold our attention. (Kelly Apter) ■ Summerhall, 560 1581, until 30 Aug (not 17, 24), 10am, £10 (£8).

EEJITS AND HISSY FITS ●●●●● Cheeky fairy stories with a strong Scottish lilt

’Do you know what an eejit is?’ asks Fiona Herbert, an air of gentle welcome in her voice. ‘Do you know of any eejits?’ All the kids with a bit of local slang knowledge giggle and point at their parents, and Herbert has gained their confidence. A storyteller by trade, she holds the attention of young and old alike with a trio of fantastical and slightly cheeky fairy stories, delivered with a buzzing Scottish accent. She tells the famous story of Finn MacCool, a giant (or an eejit, as she calls them) who once walked these lands, and his fear of the only giant in the land bigger than him. His wife Oona is the hero of this tale, Finn disguising himself as a baby while she sets bold and clever traps for the giant. The next eejit up is princess Muriel, a selfish and spoiled brat until she’s captured by the evil witch Washadish and made to get her hands dirty cleaning a pile of dishes, calling on those she’s wronged at the end to help her in a gentle moral lesson. Finally, and possibly the weakest of the three stories, is a re-telling of The Princess and the Pea, but there’s a certain hint of disdain in there for the normal gender dynamic of fairytales which is suitably pleasing. (David Pollock) ■ Scottish Storytelling Centre, 556 9579, until 23 Aug (not 17), 11.15am, £6.50 (£4.50).