list.co.uk/kids Previews | KIDS
LIVE TOUR MR BLOOM’S NURSERY – LIVE King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 29 Apr; King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Sun 30 Apr
For many new parents, tuning into magic child containment forcefield CBeebies for the first time, Mr Bloom’s Nursery is the show that tells you kids’ television isn’t like it was in their day. You may have seen the likes of In the Night Garden’s pre-school psychedelia many times before, but friendly gardener Mr Bloom’s literally organic tales of his allotment adventures, alongside a supporting cast of talking puppet fennel, aubergine and butternut squash, is socially conscious kids telly in full effect, teaching under- sevens the benefits of composting and eating their greens. ‘He was always going to be a happy Northern gardener,’ says actor and creator of Mr Bloom, Ben Faulks, who gets away with the regional specificity thanks to his time in teacher training at Yorkshire’s former Bretton Hall College and subsequently living in Manchester, even though he grew up in Cornwall. A father of three and sometime straight actor in shows including Casualty, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, Faulks created an early version of Mr Bloom in the guise of a street theatre show for kids called Vegetable Nannies, which he took around the world in a vintage pram.
If you believe everything you read on Mumsnet , the nation’s mothers are apparently glad the BBC accepted Faulks’ pitch for a show back in 2009, although the BBC 6 Music fan is coy about the whole thing. ‘My wife Mimi and I have a giggle about it,’ he says. ‘We had no idea a tank top and wellies could be so attractive.’ A veteran of the CBeebies live tour, this will be Mr Bloom’s first solo show, and will feature his veggie friends, Colin the Compostarium, and lots of interactive fun for the ‘tiddlers’ in the audience. (David Pollock)
PLAY FANTASTIC MR FOX King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Mon 15–Sat 20 May; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Mon 22– Sat 27 May
First published in 1970, Roald Dahl’s classic children’s adventure, Fantastic Mr Fox has seen something of a revival in later life. Once upon a time, crossover into film and animated cartoons allowed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG the greatest public notoriety; yet since George Clooney and Meryl Streep voiced Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animation of Mr Fox’s chicken-stealing adventures in 2009, and this musical version hit London, a new generation is getting to know Dahl’s tale. ‘I’m delighted that lots of people will get the chance to see it, because I think it’s a really
wonderful bit of writing,’ says director Maria Aberg. ‘Sam Holcroft’s adaptation is incredibly funny and fast, a really witty take on the original with a few new twists and turns. Sam has brought the book to life in a way that feels very vivid and contemporary, with lots of warmth and humour.’
Created for the Roald Dahl centenary celebrations last year, the action-packed play also features music and lyrics from composer Arthur Darvill (he doesn’t appear onstage here, but many might know him best as the actor who played Rory in Doctor Who). And as with all of Dahl’s tales, it’s a pure romp which has as much allegorical depth as you could look for. ‘There’s a message to the story that’s very important at this particular point in time,’ says Aberg, ‘about community, togetherness, solidarity and what makes a good leader.’ (David Pollock)
DANCE PINOCCHIO Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 2 May
Best known as the boy whose nose grows each time he lies, back in 1881 when Italian author Carlo Collodi first created Pinocchio, the character carried an important social message. ‘Collodi wrote it at a time when society was asking questions about education,’ explains
choreographer Jasmin Vardimon, whose new dance adaptation of the tale is touring the UK. ‘People were asking if peasants could be educated, whether their children could go to school and become what they termed “real boys”, or if they should simply be part of the workforce, like donkeys.’ Using a range of clever theatrical devices, Vardimon and her dancers have lifted Collodi’s tale off
the page with shadow puppetry, aerial work, playful movement and a quirky colourful set.
‘The thing I’m always interested in is finding the most imaginative way to tell a story – especially if
that story is really well known,’ says Vardimon. ‘And Pinocchio is a very imaginative story already, so it was a pleasure to work on because the source material was right there – it was just a case of how to re-tell it.’ For Vardimon, exploring what it means to be human – something she says is ‘as relevant today as
it was when the story was written’ – lies at the heart of the story.
‘In the Disney version, the message is you can become real by telling the truth but the original is a much more complex journey of discovery,’ she says. ‘So I decided to focus on how Pinocchio learns to recognise human feelings and emotions, in himself and others.’ (Kelly Apter)
1 Apr–31 May 2017 THE LIST 81
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