Clever stylistic performance qualities meant Tall Stories captured the magic of theatre for a young audience
The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson is one of the most well known stories amongst children, so choosing this story for a performance is bound to go down well. Tall Stories (already known for The Gruffalo) put on an excellent adaptation of the entertaining tale, giving children a wonderful introduction to the world of theatre.
The scenery, though fairly simple, really captured the illustrations of Alex Scheffler from the picture book. Throughout the performance, the moving trees were used effectively to make each part of the story feel unique. Whether the cast were pushing them around, appearing from behind them or riding on them, it was these types of simple but carefully choreographed movements that made the show so clever.
Using the story as a basis, the script added in witty one liners, silly back and forths and fun songs to keep the children entertained. The laughter in the audience demonstrated the skill of the cast in understanding their audience. The musical stylings were a delightful addition, in particular demonstrating the use of different music types for different characters. The fox song was a particular favourite, encapsulating the sly and cheeky character that gained a positive reaction. The engagement with the audience was also well balanced across the performance. With this age group it is particularly useful to give them actions and interaction as the performance goes along and it felt these moments were well placed to keep their interest, without feeling like they were being talked down to.
The cast were incredibly slick. Sabrina Simohamed’s audience engagement as the Mouse and narrator and Hannah Miller’s storytelling abilities as the Gruffalo’s Child gave the performance the energy it required. Particular recognition should go to Joe Lindley whose ability to play a wide variety of characters and keep each one unique and interesting for such a young audience was excellent. The costumes were also cleverly done and the Gruffalo and Gruffalo’s child were particularly apt against Scheffler’s beloved illustrations. The clever use of sounds and movements from the cast to support the performance meant it had an authentic feel to it, rather than choosing to use commercial backing tracks or percussive props. Executed with skill, particularly by Sabrina Simohamed, this technique worked well with the young audience.
Capturing the hearts and minds of children for an hour can be a challenge, but the Tall Stories theatre company did well. There were moments where the momentum slowed, and it was these points where it felt that Donaldson’s classic rhymes would have brought the attention back. Whilst there were mentions of the key lines, the rhythmic nature of the well-known story was slightly missing. However, there were songs and actions that captured the children’s attention well, so the moments that lacked momentum were only short.