{KIDS} Fringe previews
MR BENN 1970s TV classic on stage
Anyone who has seen The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom or any of the other wonderful shows Tall Stories has staged over the years will know that the company is no stranger to adaptation. This time, however, they’ve moved away from children’s picture books to the land of 1970s television.
Created by David McKee, Mr Benn appeared on the BBC between 1971 and 1972, but its appeal lives on. What was it about the TV show that interested Tall Stories? ‘The whole concept of Mr Benn is hugely theatrical,’ says Olivia Jacobs, joint artistic director of Tall Stories. ‘An ordinary man who chooses a costume and travels into a different story for a while. It seemed a very natural step to invite Mr Benn onto the stage.’
Exactly how to stage it led to a number of dilemmas, however. McKee made 14 episodes of the programme, filled with memorable music and characters for Jacobs to choose from. ‘We had a huge amount of decisions to make,’ she recalls. ‘Should we use the original music? Would it be acceptable to add new songs? How would we take Mr Benn from one world to the next on stage? Would we tell existing stories from the original series or create new ones?’ In the end, Jacobs and her team blended old and new,
taking into account nostalgic parents and children for whom Mr Benn is an unknown concept. ‘We were keen to retain the most important elements of the original series, whist making sure the show stood alone for those who didn’t know Mr Benn,’ says Jacobs. ‘And hopefully we managed to achieve a good balance. So far feedback from our audiences has been great – the show stands alone and you don’t need to know Mr Benn to enjoy it, but there are definitely classic moments that die-hard Mr Benn fans will love.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 4–18 Aug (not 6), 11.30am, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Preview 3 Aug, £5.
BUBBLEWRAP AND BOXES Playing around with the post
THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY Oliver Jeffers’ book-munching tale comes to life DR BROWN BROWN BROWN BROWN BROWN . . . Creating a safe haven for chaos
L A V I T S E F
Melbourne-based theatre company Asking For Trouble have acted on the wisdom that there’s no end to the fun you can have with a cardboard box, with their award-winning show, Bubblewrap and Boxes. The play, which is set in a mail room, relies largely on movement to tell the story. For performers Luke O’Connor and Cristy Flaws, finding unusual ways to do ordinary things was key to the show’s success.
‘As physical performers using very little spoken language, we’re always looking for ways to communicate the feelings and thoughts of our characters,’ says O’Connor. ‘We find that the unusualness of the movement adds a real sense of joy to this communication, both for us and the audience.’
Talking of the play’s success, O’Connor adds: ‘We really enjoy performing it – and that on its own gets you a long way with a show,’ he says. ‘We made the show for families, and wanted adults to enjoy watching it as much as kids – which they do, often connecting with, and laughing at, different parts of the story.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 6–21 Aug (not 8, 15), 10.45am, £8–£9 (£7–£8). Previews until 5 Aug, £5.
50 THE LIST 4–11 Aug 2011
Bootworks Theatre are set to stage an adaptation of Oliver Jeffer’s The Incredible Book Eating Boy in their unique Black Box venue this Fringe. Each five- minute performance admits one adult and a child at a time, who sit in the Black Box as the performance unfolds around them through small windows. ‘The perfect thing about the book,’ says co- director James Baker, ‘is that it fits the entire story of a boy’s insatiable hunger for books in the space of 32 beautifully illustrated pages. We’ve borrowed plenty from the book and visual style, but we’ve also used a healthy amount of artistic licence in making sure the piece works on its own terms, using live performers, masks, objects, puppetry and back projection.’
Adults who don’t have an attached youngster are encouraged to attend anyway. ‘Anyone who likes a good story and theatre done in an original and engaging way is welcome,’ says Baker. ‘We are doing 810 shows – there’ll be plenty of tickets.’(Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 6–29 Aug (not 16), 10.20am-2.14pm (show every six minutes), £4. Previews until 5 Aug, £3.
Anyone who saw last year’s late-night Fringe anarchy from Dr Brown may raise an eyebrow to learn that he’s now doing a kids’ show, in addition to a new adult’s hour. To Brown’s alter-ego, American comic Phil Burgers, this is simply a natural development for his brand of childlike clowning. ‘I did something at a kids’ birthday party in Los Angeles recently,’ he recalls. ‘Gathering stuff from people and finding props and costumes. But I realised I couldn’t just do the character of Dr Brown for kids, because it’s too subtle. So I had to make it more animated and extrovert – without being like a children’s entertainer.’
Burgers’ shows are a triumph of experimentation and improvising. ‘There’s no theme, it’s just stupidity and surrealism,’ he says. ‘There’s this idiot on stage who’s trying to get things right, so the microphone keeps hitting me or I keep falling over while trying to put skis on. It’s about creating a place of play, fun and chaos, though within that they know that I’m in charge. I’m kind of a teacher or babysitter.’ (Brian Donaldson) ■ Underbelly, 0844 545 8252, 5–28 Aug (not 8–11, 15–18, 22–25), 10.45am, £8 (£7).