Festival Kids
where there’s a host of white objects to talk and think about – and ends with time for chat and play with the two actors. The star of White is undoubtedly the
set, made by the expert hand of puppeteer Shona Reppe. With suspense suitably built up, an usher sweeps aside a curtain, revealing a tantalising and rather magical, white world. It’s very beautiful, full of little surprises and clever effects, although possibly too intricate for little ones to really grasp the detail.
But it seems that doesn’t matter: this is certainly stimulating stuff, and while the laughs at the visual jokes come mainly from the grown-ups, White is a captivating enough experience to silence even the criers, and it’s some very thoughtful toddlers who leave the theatre, having been delighted by a lovely (and colourful!) finale. (Laura Ennor) ■ Traverse @ Scottish Book Trust, 228 1404, until 29 Aug (23), 10.30am & 1.30pm, £6 (£5).
Online Booking Fringe www.edfringe.com International Festival www.eif.co.uk Book Festival www.edbookfest.co.uk Art Festival www.edinburghartfestival.org
THE WHITE DALMATIAN Fairytale musical with a twist ●●●●●
Little Claire gets a special new stuffed toy for her birthday, Dalmatian Polkadot, but one of her old toys, Witch, is jealous. She magics Dalmatian’s spots to Fairyland and all the other toys have to journey there to retrieve them. In this musical from Czech company
2Landa, the cast take on the roles of Claire, her toys and the inhabitants of Fairyland and add a few neat twists to a fairly standard premise. At one point the story collides with a feisty version of Little Red Riding Hood who, with the help of Dalmatian, bests the wolf. And the moral centre of the tale is not
Claire but the petty Witch. It’s nice to see the baddie given a personality trajectory. Her lesson is added to several other morals that sprinkle the hour without being obtrusive. The overall effect is a show that
skips along pleasingly, avoids anything challenging and (despite some diction issues) features some nice musical numbers. (Suzanne Black) ■ New Town Theatre, 220 0143, until 29 Aug, 11.45am, £10–£11 (£6–£9).
NEXT ISSUE OUT WEDNESDAY 25 AUGUST
list.co.uk/festival THE RAILWAY CHILDREN A classic revisited ●●●●●
Rather than cater to contemporary children’s experiences, Sell a Door Theatre Company has gone for a faithful rendition of a classic. E. Nesbit’s well-loved tale of Mrs Waterbury and her three children, who are forced to move to the country while her husband is falsely incarcerated, is a perennial favourite. The difficulties in making it accessible to children aged 6+ today are not insignificant. Station master Mr Perks is on
narrator duty, hinging the scenes together coherently. Some of the plumier language is sent up effectively by the actor playing Waterbury son Peter and evocations of trains via smoke, lights and sound effects work well. In all, it’s a professional, well- acted, highly competent production. The story, with its rigid class strictures, will always be anachronistic. Sell a Door do their best to bring it to a new audience, going as far as to cast the role of Jim from the Royal Mile each day. (Suzanne Black) ■ C Plaza, 08452 601 234, until 30 Aug, 2.45pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£5.50–£8.50).
WHITE Charmingly surreal show for toddlers ●●●●●
Catering to the attention spans of fidgety toddlers while also offering value for money, this 35-minute show actually begins in the garden outside – Telephone Booking Fringe 0131 226 0000 International Festival 0131 473 2000 Book Festival 0845 373 5888 Art Festival 07500 461 332
ARABIAN NIGHTS Tales from old Baghdad ●●●●●
As soon as you walk into the Storytelling Centre, you’re met with the exotic aroma of burning incense. That, and a stage filled with promise – middle eastern and otherwise. Andy Lawrence and his company, Theatre of Widdershins, have built up a formidable reputation at the Fringe in recent years. We’ve come to expect intricate sets that reveal surprise after surprise, beautifully crafted puppets that come alive in Lawrence’s capable hands, and well-loved tales re-told in his inimitable fashion.
With Arabian Nights we once again score all three, even if it’s not quite the triumph of previous productions such as The Kings Got Donkey’s Ears or The Elves and the Shoemaker.
Of the 1001 of Scheherazade’s tales available to him, Lawrence has chosen three – The Dream, The Fool and His Donkey and The Fisherman and The Genie. He calls them ‘lost’ tales – mainly because Disney and its ilk haven’t got their hands on them. But perhaps there’s a reason for that – they don’t have the strongest of plots. That said, Lawrence does wonders with them. Three giant books sit piled on top of cushions, each one containing all manner of puppets and props, with special mention going to the hat that grows ears and the smoke-producing genie bottle. Lawrence can’t put a foot wrong when it comes to set design and storytelling, but on this occasion, he’s the main event, not the material. (Kelly Apter) ■ Scottish Storytelling Centre, 556 9579, until 30 Aug, 1pm, £7.50 (£5).
19–26 Aug 2010 THE LIST 53