list.co.uk/kids PREVIEWS & REVIEWS | KIDS
THEATRE ATLANTIS BANAL: BENEATH THE SURFACE Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, Wed 9 & Thu 10 Oct; Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling, Sat 19 Oct and touring
Her set design is often described as a work of art, so it seems fitting that Shona Reppe’s new show Atlantis Banal: Beneath the Surface should be set in a pop-up gallery. Although, ironically, on this occasion, the queen of Scottish children’s theatre is going for a pared-down approach.
‘This time the set is totally minimal, which is a real change for me,’ says Reppe. ‘I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just say that the set develops as the show progresses. I wanted to try something new and create the show around the audience.’ Telling the story of visual artist Atlantis Banal, born on an island and struck by lightning, the show centres on Banal's new exhibition, Beneath the Surface. Reppe was inspired by real-life artists who work with found objects, in particular Yoko Ono and Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven.
‘These two women were overlooked as artists in a man’s world at the time,’ says Reppe. ‘Baroness Elsa was an eccentric artist who wore tin cans on her head, and it’s rumoured she exhibited in the toilet of an art gallery before Marcel Duchamp did.’
Following the success of previous shows – Magic Sho,
Cinderella and The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean – Reppe has now teamed up with French company Velo Theatre, who are known for creating atmospheric work using objects. ‘We worked together on capturing the feel of an art gallery,’ explains Reppe, ‘and it’s been fun creating the character of Atlantis Banal, an artist who makes the ordinary extraordinary. ‘Why make a show about art for children? Because so much
of art is inspired by everyday life and children are in the thick of it so why not? I want to dispel the idea that art is for the elite – life is art!’ (Kelly Apter)
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BALLET WEE HANSEL & GRETEL King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 13–Sun 15 Sep and touring lllll MUSIC / THEATRE WHIRLYGIG Platform, Glasgow, Fri 6 Sep; Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 13 Sep
Scottish Ballet’s Wee Hansel & Gretel is a triumph of the imagination, and a great way of hooking kids into the world of dance. With a gorgeous set by Gary Harris, which goes from spookily evocative woods to a sliding, split-level gingerbread house with sweet treats, it's a tale with many twists and surprises.
Choreographed by the company’s artistic director, Christopher Hampson, this shortened version of the full-length ballet is narrated by cheeky, flat cap-wearing James Siggens. A recent graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Siggens is an impish presence throughout. As for Hansel and Gretel themselves, the pairing of Constant Vigier and Alice Kawalek is an inspired one. They're a sweet enough pair of siblings, but never enough to induce a toothache. It's Gretel who saves the day – she’s feisty and headstrong; whereas her brother, ever clutching his teddy bear, is a more timid. She can also be quite mean to him at times, as evinced by the scene where she and the Witch take his teddy from him and refuse to give it back.
Madeline Squire as the Witch is the epitome of fairy tale duality: she looks like
a magical fairy in her sparkling white gown, but underneath, she’s evil. Squire plays her more for laughs though. Even as she meets her demise, the tone is cartoonish, rather than terrifying. All told, the malevolence is sprinkled with icing sugar. For thrills, laughs and
shivers for the whole family, this show really takes the cake. (Lorna Irvine)
He’s composed music for some of Scotland’s finest children’s theatre companies, including Catherine Wheels and Visible Fictions. But now, Daniel Padden is doing it for himself, with his debut theatre show, WhirlyGig. As you would expect from a musician-composer, there’s a lot of music in it –
and a lot of instruments – 30, to be precise. Really, that many?
‘Yes – in fact we had to reduce the number as it was getting out of hand,’ says Padden. ‘There's a sousaphone, xylophone, saxophone, kazoo, ukulele, concertina, drums, melodica, voices and some others you might not think are instruments. I suppose I'm greedy, and I love to hear different sounds. I have a basement full of weird and wonderful instruments, most of which I can play very badly.’
Padden himself doesn’t perform in the show, which may explain why he’s
made it so difficult for those who do. A celebration of the many different ways music can be made, WhirlyGig finds four brave musicians faced with a range of musical puzzles to solve. ‘I was interested in what happens when musicians are taken outside their comfort zone and given absurd challenges they're not used to dealing with,’ explains Padden. ‘So in WhirlyGig they don't get to sit still, they don't always get to play the right instrument, and they don't always know what they're playing. But they still have to put on a show. It's very funny watching them, and I'm glad I'm not on stage!’ (Kelly Apter)
1 Sep–31 Oct 2019 THE LIST 69