list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL KIDS
TREASURE ISLAND Seafaring romp with added visuals ●●●●● ERIN, ERROL AND THE EARTH CREATURES Environmental tale suggests change ●●●●●
Once upon a time, this kind of show was a staple of the children’s theatre world. Happily, things have moved on – so if you want something more nuanced and subtle for your young charges, look elsewhere. If, however, you fancy a sing-along, unpretentious, straight down the line piece of commercial theatre then the Treasure Island team play that card very well.
All the major players from RL Stevenson’s novel are here: Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver and Billy Bones, as is the basic plot, delivered by lively cast members Tom Beard and Rachael Born – neither of whom would look out of place on the panto stage. Together they enlist the audience to help them find the eight gold coins that lead to the treasure, encouraging us to take part in a victory dance each time one is discovered (although by coin eight, enthusiasm in the crowd is understandably waning). The lack of fellow performers is made up by video
footage, which is also handy for reminders about clues, ensuring even the youngest viewers can keep up with the plot. While sing-alongs like ‘Row Your Boat’ and ‘Over the Deep Blue Sea’ come with suitable actions to keep everyone lively. (Kelly Apter) ■ Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 622 6552, until 28 Aug (not 12—13, 22), 10am, £8–£9 (£6–£7).
Although it’s the grown-ups who take out the rubbish and buy the new clothes, it’s our children who will be left with the legacy of how we approach those tasks. So when central character Erin teaches the grown-ups in her village about repairing and recycling, we all know it’s really us she’s talking to. That this young Glasgow company can deal with
a topic often viewed as ‘worthy’ without coming across as preaching or patronising is a credit to their theatrical skills. Four talented performers deliver this most crucial of messages in such a funny, clever way it’s impossible to ignore.
When Erin’s twin brother goes missing she sets out on a quest to find him in the countryside. There she discovers the toll we humans are taking on the planet, courtesy of some incredibly cute recycling creatures and a mountain giant, so heads back to her community to tell them all about it.
Live guitar, harmonious singing and a witty script all keep both adults and children hooked throughout, and – you would like to think – sends us all home looking for the small changes we can make in our own lives. (Kelly Apter) ■ Scottish Storytelling Centre, 556 9579, until 21 Aug (not 17–19), 11.30am, £7 (£5).
SQUIRREL STOLE MY UNDERPANTS Washing clothes will never feel the same ●●●●●
‘Sylvie, it’s time to take out the wash,’ says a character off-stage, opening the show. None of us can see Sylvie, but she seems reluctant. ‘Yes, you have to do it right now,’ insists the voice. When Sylvie eventually appears, wearing a
gingham apron and flowery dress, she starts to fasten various items to a washing line, doing so with outsized clothes pegs. But no sooner is the washing on the line than a squirrel (a puppet) makes off with Sylvie’s underwear. She spends much of the show trying to get it back via mime and puppetry.
This one-woman show has no spoken words,
apart from the couple of lines at the start. Scenery is also minimal; mostly just a washing line held up by metal poles. But it’s enthralling as Sylvie brings a shirt on the line to life, putting her arms into the sleeves and later wrestling with a man’s jacket. Americana folk music accompanies the action.
Written specially for the show, it’s atmospheric and full of whimsical charm. Perhaps the show is a lonely little girl’s fantasy, or maybe it’s about the challenges life might throw at Sylvie. Whatever it means, hanging out the washing will never seem the same again. (Helen Fowler) ■ Summerhall, 560 1581, until 19 Aug (not 15), 10.40am, £9 (£8).
MICHAEL MORPURGO’S KING ARTHUR Arthurian legend comes to life in this new show ●●●●●
‘The country is united, it needs a strong king,’ young Arthur is told, and his future as the fated monarch of England and the surrounding empire is sealed. It was the sixth century AD, but the theme of a divided country hasn’t changed much, it seems. This version of Michael Morpurgo's young adult fantasy novel Arthur, High King of Britain is well-located within the National Museum of Scotland, blending a dramatic experience for young audiences with a handy primer on Arthurian legend.
The action is busy, unfolding on a stage which, for the most part, bears the entire ensemble of seven throughout – plus a puppet dog, who is the eyes of the wizard Merlin. His appearance owes much to a small scale version of the title character from that other most famous of Morpurgo stage adaptations, War Horse.
Produced by Story Pocket Theatre from Adam Fletcher-Forde’s adaptation, the piece translates Morpurgo’s sense of epic clarity, distilled from disputed, only part-recorded historic myths. In the present day, a young boy has an accident in a cave and
finds an aged man who claims to be King Arthur, alive for eternity here. Played with an airy, distinguished wisdom by the white- haired David Gant (who also appears as the wizard Merlin), he claims to be the eternal King Arthur. He tells his tales for the boy – one involving the younger Arthur’s (played with nobility by Thomas Gilbey, a War Horse alumnus) wife Guinevere, her affair with his most heroic knight Lancelot, and the scheming of Arthur’s son Mordred and his enchantress mother Morgan Le Fay.
It’s straightly-played but still a compelling adventure story filled with well-choreographed action and quality performances, and best suited to grip late primary school and early teenage viewers. (David Pollock) ■ Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 622 6552, until 29 Aug (not 16, 22), 2.45pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10).
11–18 Aug 2016 THE LIST FESTIVAL 69