THEATRE
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DRAGON National Theatre of Scotland favourite returns to breathe fi re and warm hearts
Having completed a successful run at the Edinburgh International Festival, Oliver Emanuel’s much-loved creation returns for an autumn tour. In collaboration with masters of visual theatre Vox Motus, National Theatre of Scotland and Tianjin Children’s Art Theatre, Emanuel eschews a conventional narrative for a visual feast of physical storytelling. Fusing incredible puppetry with bold
scenography, Dragon tells the tale of Tommy, a teenage boy who navigates a painful path through isolation when his mother dies. Emanuel’s script, however, does not use verbal
language, but relies on movement and Vox Motus’ magical use of the stage set to suggest
a young man’s world that is full of fear, anger and isolation. A phenomenal young ensemble including Martin McCormick, Gavin Jon Wright and Scott Miller in the title role provide a defiantly unsentimental look at loss, love and the resilience of self-belief, which has already appealed to all ages, bar the really wee ones.
Guy Bishop and Jamie Harrison’s gorgeously designed puppets breathe fire into a unique, beautiful and moving show, which takes Tommy through the stages of grief and towards a final redemption. And barely a word is spoken until the final moments. (Lorna Irvine) ■ Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 1–Sat 10 Oct; Dundee Rep, Wed 14–Sat 17 Oct.
3 Sep–5 Nov 2015 THE LIST 81
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