Author: nancynewberry

REVIEW: Who Let The God’s Out?

Published on by nancynewberryLeave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Brilliant casting brought to life this fun and poignant adventure – a trip for all the family! 

Targeted at children ages 7-11, Who Let The God’s Out? takes one of the beloved books from Max Evans’ series about young boy Elliot who needs to save the world and save his mum, and turns it into a welcoming theatre production. 

The impressive high quality set navigates the worlds of the Gods, Demons and ‘sub-optimal’ mortals. Exciting lighting and simple but effective scenery and props were combined well to capture the essence of the different environments and keep the audience hooked in. 

The story follows young Elliot as he navigates a challenging time whilst caring for his mother who is battling illness, and manages to become entangled in the world of Constellations, Gods and Demons. Andy Owens put on a startling performance as Elliot, with wonderful vocal range and power. Owens truly captures the challenge of a naive boy who battles moral dilemmas and has the difficulties of acting like an adult whilst caring for his mum. 

The storyline in the first half occasionally felt a bit rushed and lacked depth to truly become invested in the adventure, but in the second half the storyline picked up and gave the audience a well-rounded ending. One particular enjoyable element was the Queen of the United Kingdom being obsessed with “kicking butt” and received roars of laughter as she walloped Thanatos the demon. This scene was rounded of led with the Queen using her grandson’s book Spare to deliver the final blow which showed the thoughtfulness of providing jokes for both the younger and older audience members. 

These jokes were a consistent theme throughout the play with lots of laughter at the slapstick comedy of a dressed up cow and chuckles at the references to Theresa May’s dancing. One might argue some of the jokes could have been brought a little more up to date to give the children a chance at understanding without the post-joke whispers of parents having to explain the references. However, broadly there was a good balance of lighthearted content against the incredibly poignant storyline of Elliot’s mum’s illness.

Credit should be given to the casting team who picked out five incredibly talented performers to play a number of versatile roles throughout the play. In particular, Harriet O’Grady wowed the audience with her wide ranging vocals as the Queen and Patricia Porshley Plum, whilst capturing the heartbreaking role of Eliot’s mum with sensitivity.

The songs throughout were sweet, if unmemorable. It felt that more could have been done with the variety of the music given this could be an introduction for young people to musicals. The stand out song was the classic evil villains song which the cast clearly enjoyed performing with fun dance moves and giggles from the audience. 

The show is a high-quality production to get kids into the joys of musicals, and with fantastic casting to entice the audience, kids and adults alike will enjoy! 

The show runs until 22 March in Polka’s Y C Chan Theatre in Wimbledon. 

REVIEW: The Gruffalo’s Child

Published on by nancynewberryLeave a comment

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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. 

REVIEW: A Fairytale for Christmas at Dominion Theatre

Published on by nancynewberryLeave a comment

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Festive fun for all that captures the spirit
of an Irish Christmas

A theatre trip at Christmas is a classic family tradition and A Fairytale for Christmas is a wonderful remedy to the mundanity of the family panto trip. With the theme of an Irish Christmas concert, you know you’re in for a fun evening. The show mixes the usual jolly Christmas classics with the impressive addition of river dancing and traditional Irish singalongs. The mixture of all of these songs and dances gives a delightful, if slightly uncoordinated, concert that will appeal to those wanting to get into the festive spirit. 

With a small set of instrumentalists, singers and a team of six dancers, the cast of this performance lit up the stage of the Dominion Theatre. The dancing was fantastic from the small dance troop. They demonstrated a range of dance; plenty of skilled river dancing to keep to the theme of the performance, with flamenco and modern stylings added in. The various leaps and twirls combined with the glittery costumes put everyone in the Christmas spirit. At certain times it seemed to lack polish, but often this could be attributed to the informality of the performance. A little more engagement with this informality may have added to the authenticity of the show. 

The instrumentalists were also very talented. The ability of the guitarist, banjo player and violinist to dance around the stage whilst playing was highly skilled. In particular, the violinist captured the spirit and energy of an Irish Christmas that you would expect to find in the pubs of Dublin. Given the size of the performance, it was understandable that it would be difficult to have many more instrumentalists on stage, however, the slightly commercialised backing track did detract from the authenticity of the performance. A piano and a percussionist would have given further depth to the performance which slightly lacked due to the backing track creating a less professional output. 

The show also would have benefitted from a bit more of an introduction. The first quarter of the show felt that it lacked energy and didn’t fully engage the audience. Whilst the mixture of upbeat songs and the classic quieter songs such as Silent Night and O Holy Night gave the performance variety to keep the audience interested, a better balance could have been achieved to grab the attention from the start. In particular, a theme or story could have been more intentionally highlighted to take the audience on a journey, rather than having a presentation of a seemingly random music and dance. The energy levels were improved from the start of the second half and the audience engagement was further reaching meaning the final sing and dance along numbers landed better than earlier in the show. Thanks to the engaged nature of the final numbers, the audience were left with a buzzy, festive feeling worthy of the talent displayed on the stage. 

REVIEW: Beethoven I Shall Hear Heaven 

Published on by nancynewberryLeave a comment

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

A beautiful way to capture the emotional story of Beethoven’s life alongside his incredible works

The dusky lighting of the stunning, partly outdoor Holland Park Opera venue was the perfect setting for the higgeldy piggedly stage where BEETHOVEN: I SHALL HEAR HEAVEN took place. The stage had ramps that ran down to a central platform which were used to demonstrate the ups and downs of the performance. In addition, the pianist and quartet were placed in a pit in the centre of the stage, reinforcing the message that music really was the soul of the play. As the sun set, the lighting changed, adding a level of ambience to the performance as we journeyed through Beethoven’s life.

The performance was narrated by two of Beethoven’s companions who transformed quickly into other characters as needed, with the writer of the play Tama Matheson playing Beethoven himself. The structure of the performance, with snippets of Beethoven’s life played out and punctuated by his incredible works was a beautiful way to explain the turbulence of his life and how this flowed into his music. The passionate monologues reinforced the pain and growth that Beethoven went through alongside his moments of enlightenment and the clever choices of musical direction highlighted this in his music as well. It was very interesting to see the change in musical style demonstrated with such clarity across the play. Whilst his life was fairly easy to follow, the narrative could have used a few more milestones to give a sense of direction to the play. As it was, the narrative occasionally felt that it was drifting.

The political backdrop of the time was cleverly interwoven as well. This gave further understanding to the idea that Beethoven’s innovative style was part of a wider revolution against the traditional ways. The way that Matheson delivered his impassioned monologues also showed the revolutionary spirit that lived in Beethoven. In addition to the passion and sorrow, there were light moments particularly brought by Robert Maskell and Suzy Kohane. On some occasions the delivery of Maskell’s comedic lines fell flat with the audience, but the majority gave welcome lighthearted moments. Whilst the two characters were meant to be writing Beethoven’s life and thus carried papers around, it also appeared that these were their scripts and there were a few hesitant moments as they searched for their lines which sometimes disrupted the flow.

The central feature of the performance was obviously the music and the brilliant quartet and incredibly talented Jayson Gillham did the storytelling justice with their skilled performance. It was a true joy to listen to. In particular the sensitivity of Gillham’s piano captured each moment of the documentation of Beethoven’s life with huge skill. It was also lovely to hear some different dynamics used for some of the more well known pieces making them unique to the performance. One musical element that felt slightly at odds was the choir who sat at the back of the stage throughout the performance. Whilst their crowning moment belting out Ode To Joy landed well, the choral piece that they sang to introduce the Second Act felt a bit weak and not required. It would be tempting to leave the choir offstage and bring them on solely for Ode to Joy to have more impact, and also to save their voices from the cold as the night drew into the partially outdoor space.

The Second Act itself also felt like it got off to a sluggish start. It may be that some of this narrative could have been cut to keep the attention of the audience. However, the narrative then went almost too far the other way with erratic scenes that felt somewhat jarring compared to the first act, in particular the courtroom scene. Whilst this somewhat captured the state of Beethoven’s life as he became more and more deaf, it could have been more inkeeping with the tone of the performance as a whole. Once again, however, the gravitas with which Matheson delivered Beethoven’s moments of enlightenment at the end truly did justice to the amazing musical talent and the change that he brought about for the age. A remarkable demonstration that showed exactly what Matheson saw when writing the play.

REVIEW: To See Ourselves

Published on by nancynewberryLeave a comment

Rating: 3 out of 5.

“A witty script played well, but could have done more to bring out more of the  subtleties.”

E.M. Delafield’s play follows the classic tropes of the 1930s that we have become accustomed to in the modern era. However, for the time it would have been a political force to be reckoned with, bringing to light the juxtaposition between the older generations of men and women who firmly believe women belong in the home, against a new era of women getting jobs and spending more time outside of the home. These stereotypes are brought to life cleverly using only four characters, sisters Caroline and Jill, Caroline’s tiresome husband and Owen, Jill’s eventual fiancé. 

The characters are fairly straightforward. Freddie is the stereotypical husband who expects his wife to be home and doesn’t understand why she might need romance. Caroline on the other hand is constantly wishing for more attention and love. Jill is a headstrong woman, continuing to push the boundaries and embrace the opportunity to follow a different path that was newer to women at the time and Owen is also representative of the charming new age man, navigating this exciting time alongside Jill. 

The performance used these stereotypes in a charming manner, with witty lines delivered well and getting solid chuckles from the audience. The set was painted white, reflecting the bright and easygoing nature of the content. In addition to the scripts witticism, the character of the housemaid, played by Pat Holden with very few lines, added much hilarity in her mannerisms about the stage and ability to turn up at just the wrong moment. A clever use of silence for comedy gold. Similarly, Jonathan Davenport did well to make use of of the full space on the stage to add to the commanding nature of his character, Owen. 

Whilst this was an enjoyable lean into the script, it was difficult to tell more broadly whether the actors could have done more with their characters. Whilst each played their characters well, for example Rebecca Pickering clearly enjoying playing the headstrong Jill, leaning into her sass and confidence, there was also a softer, insecure side of Jill that could have been brought out more. There could have been more dimensions explored within the script, particularly given that the modern audience is accustomed to this type of storyline. Similarly the character Caroline, portrayed well as a sweet and tired out housewife by Becky Lamb, felt somewhat rushed at times, losing some of the key emotional depth of the character. 

The performance felt more confident in the second half, perhaps opening night nerves, meaning the character’s story arcs were neatly performed and giving the audience the continued sense of charm and satisfaction. Jonathon Henwood in particular took more time in the second half to bring out the pleasing character arc of Freddie and adding to the satisfactory ending. 

In future, it would be interesting to see what could be done to bring out more of the subtleties of this script and the more conflicting emotions of the characters to add more depth to what was a charming and enjoyable performance. 

Credit Mark Senior

REVIEW: Earnest? at Richmond Theatre

Published on by nancynewberryLeave a comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fresh ideas throughout the show kept the raucous hilarity going 

It is a bold choice to open up your show to the unknown by allowing audience members onto the stage, but Say It Again, Sorry?, the group that took Edinburgh fringe by storm, made hay with the risky choice. The show has been touring and is coming to the final shows, one of which was at the Richmond Theatre. The thing that stood out in this show was the way that the cast have clearly honed and refined the way they interact with their chosen audience members. They treat them respectfully but poking fun at each turn with superb comedic skill. It was impossible not to laugh out loud which was well-maintained throughout the show. 

When the show starts, the cast played it with a totally straight bat, giving nothing away as to what might be coming. However, when their star Earnest doesn’t show up, Terry, played by Guido Garcia Lueches and Graham, played by Rhys Tees, immediately switched to nervous cast members and the effect was brilliant. Initially I had concerns that the comedy aspect would be overdone, but the cast played it on exactly the right line. Credit must be given to Josh Haberfield playing the Director who’s reactive comedic timing was flawless. 

The use of physical comedy was particularly impressive, played out especially well as the character Terry had been given direction to just do the show as they had blocked it, meaning that the audience members who were roped in were left totally clueless as Guido Garcia Lueches frolicked around the stage. It’s safe to say the audience were left crying with laughter at these scenes. In the initial scenes, all of the props had already been used and the effect of the cast trying to carry on was hilarious. The use of Ben Mann’s character, Josh the supportive stagehand, also demonstrated brilliant use of physical comedy and continually won the hearts of the audience. 

Both Trynity Silk and Judith Amsenga added further skillful layers as they brought their unique spin to interaction with audience cast members. It was great to see the way the classic Lady Bracknell lines were interwoven with all of the frivolity and Judith Amsenga delivered them with perfect balance of satisfaction and wit, avoiding losing sight of Oscar Wilde’s great work amongst the fun and mayhem. The different approach of each cast member to the audience is accompanied by the fact that they deploy different tools for the audience cast members to engage. In the first instance they use total improvisation, giving them no script, later they share a script, then there are cue cards and finally one of the cast does a voice over for some audience members, reacting quickly to their moves and actions which was absolutely brilliant. The fresh ideas throughout meant that the trope of bringing in new audience members never became tired and they were also always kept on their toes which made their reactions often all the more comedic. 

The show has been touring for a number of months, and is coming to the end of its run. There is often a risk that shows like this, particularly where there is a formula the cast are following, can become tired and less funny after so many performances. However, this was not at all the case for this cast. The way they are totally reactive to the audience cast members and avoid trying to anticipate their moves made everything totally slick and showcased the incredible talent of this group. There will be more shows at the Edinburgh Fringe this year and this is definitely one to catch – your sides will hurt at the end from laughing so hard! 

REVIEW: I See Me & Meryl Streep

Published on by nancynewberryLeave a comment

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

With skilled impressions and quality singing, Keddie performs an excellent Meryl Streep, but the storyline lacks the power to fully grip an audience.

As a self- proclaimed Meryl Streep fanatic, actor and comedian Alexandra Keddie used skilled impressions to bring Meryl Streep to life in her show I See Me & Meryl Streep, but as she states at the end of the show, it may be that there is such a thing as too much Meryl Streep. Having only seen some of Streep’s later films, I was intrigued to see a show about a Meryl-obsessed teenager, amusingly also called Meryl, to see if it resonated with a wider audience than simply Streep’s biggest fans. Alongside this, was an endearing exploration of the awkwardness of teenage years and the difficulty of fitting in with your peers when yours interests stand out.

The premise of the show was set up in the bedroom of the character Meryl capturing innocence and a fanatic obsession with Meryl Streep. Ranging from a Meryl Streep bedspread to a homemade knitted what would Meryl do sign, the staging did plenty to showcase the essence of the show. In addition, the comedic tool of the Meryl Mountain, a whiteboard which Keddie moved herself up and down on a scale of zero to Meryl Streep, was amusingly used. 

The start of the show was somewhat rushed, as it would be for any teenage theatre production, but it resulted in the audience not being fully connected with the storyline. The idea was that Keddie’s character was performing a GCSE drama piece, but without explanation about what the intent was of the piece and where it was going, it was hard to follow when she launched into a series of Meryl Streep impressions and songs. It may be that this was the point of the exercise, to reinforce that the character was a true obsessive, but a lot of the time I ended up feeling lost without a proper thread to connect me to the main character. 

In the middle of the show, Keddie went into a long series of impressions from Meryl Streep films, with rushed costume changes between each. Again this was amusing in the first instance, despite not having seen the films, but as it went on you could feel a number of the audience were being lost by the overworked tropes and I would be tempted to reduce the number of impressions one after the other. 

Alongside the impressions, Keddie performed a number of songs with aplomb. The characterisation of each song in line with the different films or plays she was impersonating was very impressive whilst also showcasing her talented vocals. Although the singing was highly skilled, there were again moments where it felt divorced from the storyline. It may be that this was also a tool of the awkward teenage performance, but without the full audience buy-in at the start, the energy in the room often didn’t match the song that ensued. 

The interaction between Keddie and her two support actors, her “cousin” and “sister” was well done, capturing the delicate and sometimes awkward relationship of those teenage years. The sweet ending between the two sisters was endearing to Keddie’s character as well as the sister, however, again it felt a little too rushed a conclusion and could have been more powerfully emotive if further explored. 

Whilst the premise of the show was a vehicle for showcasing an exploration of impressions and singing, I felt that more could have been done with the storyline to create the heartfelt response from the audience that was potentially intended. With the storyline as it was, the audience was left feeling a bit lost to start with and slightly unsatisfied at the end. If you are a big Meryl Streep fan, I would definitely recommend this show for the impressions, but with only two or three films under my belt I needed a more effective plot structure to get the most out of this show.

REVIEW: ENO’s The Marriage of Figaro

Published on by nancynewberry2 Comments

Rating: 4 out of 5.

A masterful performance balancing the dark undertones with the fun and silliness of the tangled storylines 

Joe Hill-Gibbons’s production of the Marriage of Figaro suffered like so many theatre productions at the hands of the pandemic, managing one opening night before sadly having to shut. So it was even more special that this thoughtful production is being given its time to shine. 

On the surface, the Marriage of Figaro appears to be a lighthearted opera with plenty of jolly characters and silly moments. It is not unlike Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with a large cast and a number of storylines twisting and turning at every stage. However, underneath the frivolity and fun lies the menacing character of the Count and this performance skilfully balanced the fun alongside the dark undertones and themes.

With the original opera written in Italian, the choice to use a modern translation into English meant that it was possible to portray the narrative more clearly and sensitively for a modern audience. It also goes a way to making the performance more accessible for those that don’t know the storyline given how complex it is. Additionally, whilst the modern take on the translation added in witty jokes and silly throwaway lines, it also allowed the pain of the female characters at the hands of this treacherous man to be. The direction also did well to emphasise the mistrust the Count had of his court, even though his example was likely the reason for these behaviours. Powerful moments were also well captured between the strong female characters which gave rise to the comeuppance at the end of the performance. 

One character who notably demonstrated this raw emotion was the Countess played by Nardus Williams. Her arias were sung so beautifully and filled the theatre with sorrow in such as sensitive and masterful way. On the other hand, David Ireland did a spectacular job of bringing the cheeky and brash Figaro to life. Accompanying the beautiful singing of the high-performing cast was the ever impeccable ENO Orchestra conducted by Aināes Rubiķis. A newcomer ENO, Rubiķis skilfully enabled the clever balance of this production through the orchestra, making the performers shine. 

Clever motifs were used throughout to bring lightheartedness to the production. One notable moment was during Cherubino’s aria when slow motion disco dancing was used to encapsulate the youth and naivety of the man. However, there were other occasions where the slapstick comedy felt a little too forced for what was otherwise a very classy cast and production. Additionally, whilst Hannah Hipp had a beautiful voice as Cherubino, I felt in such a highly emotive performance, more could have been brought out for the torment of this character. 

The simplistic set supported this performance beautifully with a clean white room with four doors which the cast energetically ran in and out of emphasising the complex and tangled web of stories that were being told. Another motif used to demonstrate the interwoven nature of all of the storylines was the characters often being totally bunched up on one part of the stage often with hands and feet all over each other. This also added another complex layer to the darker undertones of the Count’s actions. 

With the ENO’s discounted tickets for 21-35 year olds – you too can be singing Mozart’s ear worms for days after watching this well-balanced production. Playing at the London Coliseum until 22nd February.

REVIEW: The Pirates of Penzance

Published on by nancynewberry2 Comments

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This performance captured the frivolity of Gilbert and Sullivan and the subtlety of the production allowed the company to have fun

I am very lucky to have seen not one but two previous Gilbert and Sullivan performances at the London Coliseum. Both of these previous performances laid on complex design themes with a number of props and distracting scenery. The delight in this recent performance of The Pirates of Penzance was that it stripped back all of the distractions and relied heavily on the music and scripting, executed by a fantastic company.

Gilbert and Sullivan operettas are a wonderful gateway into the world of opera. Poking fun at the traditional form of opera whilst using a number of the techniques to brilliant effect, Gilbert and Sullivan operettas done well are a joy to watch. The Pirates of Penzance is well known for its hilarious hi-jinks and memorable melodies, so it was wonderful to see the ENO make the most of this with Mike Leigh’s production putting the music front and centre for this fantastic performance. 

The scenery revolved around a partition down the middle of the stage with a large circle cut out of it. This would open and close with a few other simple additions such as stairways or various blocks to change the levels. All of these were brightly coloured in the first half, moving to darker colours in the second half to represent day to night. The best use of the scenery came when the chorus of policemen surrounded the circular cut out, popping in and out as they sang. This created an amusing motif, without being overly cheesy and added to the frivolous hilarity this chorus brings. 

The performance included current and former artists from the Harewood Artist scheme run by the ENO. The clarity with which Isabelle Peters sung the difficult runs as Mabel was a testament to her role in this scheme, interweaving beautifully with her fantastic counterpart William Morgan as Frederic, formerly of the Harewood scheme. It was clear that the whole company was having fun with the performance, whilst not being over the top. In particular Richard Stuart, reprising his role as Major-General Stanley having previously performed in 2004, managed the complexity of the lyrics that come with the part. The element that really shone through to create this effortless performance was with the clear connection with the amazing conductor Natalie Murray Beale. 

Again, having kept the props and movements subtle, it meant there was more focus on the music and thus room for Murray Beale to make the orchestra shine. The precision that the orchestra was able to achieve was impressive even though there were some complicated melodies and pacy rhythms, and the chorus had a huge amount of lyrics to keep pace with. 

This performance captured the frivolity of Gilbert and Sullivan and the subtlety of the production allowed the company to have fun and let the joyful harmonies and clever lyrics shine. 

REVIEW: Aurora Orchestra: The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse

Published on by nancynewberry1 Comment

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

The concept of opening orchestral music to younger audiences is great, but often overly complex execution reduced the accessibility

The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse is a sweet, slightly quirky children’s story about a mouse and a duck that live in a wolf’s stomach. The story by Mac Barnett and the wonderful illustrator Jon Klassen is brought to stage by the Aurora orchestra and composer Martin Suckling.

Giving children the opportunity to learn about orchestral music is so important and the format of using known storybooks gives the opportunity to highlight the joy of music. It is clear that the Aurora orchestra, whose mission is to open up orchestral music to everyone, and Laura Stubbs, the narrator of this performance, have undertaken their Kodaly or Orff training to cleverly use sounds and interactivity to capture children’s imagination, however, I am unsure if this was ever truly tested with children. 

The performance started with the attention grabbing “sounds of the forest.” Firstly, they asked the audience to stand and silently act out leaves falling to the ground, perceptively leveraging the silence to create anticipation and suspense. Next, the audience was split into sections and asked to replicate the sounds of different instruments by clapping or tapping their knees. The issue with this exercise was the timings were quite complex and because Stubbs was acting the activity out rather than explaining it, it wasn’t initially clear that  different sections of the audience were doing different actions. Although there was a lead for each section on stage, it wasn’t an obvious rhythm which meant the satisfying cohesion of these types of clap along exercises was not achieved across the audience. 

A number of similar interactive audience elements were introduced at different stages of the performance, which is important for a younger audience. However, each one had the similar issue that it was a bit too challenging for the target age group. The dance moves were rhythmically challenging and when asked to sing different parts of a chord, the chosen chord was quite discordant. Whilst this was in keeping with the tone of the music, it meant that, again, the audience participation didn’t easily make sense for ages 4-8, thus feeling more frustrating than fun. 

Suckling’s composition cleverly captured the different characters in the story. The mouse being portrayed by a piccolo, the duck by an oboe and the wolf by a trombone. Each instrumentalist dressed in line with their character to help the imagination on these points. The conversational sections between the piccolo and the oboe personified the story well. The talent in the orchestra of being able to act along to the narration whilst playing instruments was fantastic. At a later point in the story a bassoon was used for the hunter, and the performer stalking around the stage pretending his instrument was a gun and then going on to play his accompanying melody was very enjoyable. 

Whilst the composition emulated the quirky storyline well, I felt that more could have been done to draw in the audience to the fact this was a musical accompaniment of a story. The show dived straight into the story telling without acknowledging the excitement of the ensemble to entertain the audience. By not taking time to acknowledge the orchestra at the beginning, other than a cursory introduction of the conductor, the music felt like an afterthought instead of a focal point. At the end of the performance Stubbs introduced each member of the orchestra and if time had been taken to do this at the start, it would have shifted the tone, and helped to draw the audience in to the piece of music. 

The additional element to this performance was the projection of Klass’s illustrations on a screen above the stage. It felt odd that there were only about three of these images across the performance at sporadic points, rather than having them throughout. The illustrations are so interesting that it felt the audience were short changed by not having them throughout the performance. Again, because of the younger nature of the audience, visual prompts alongside the other elements are so important, and it felt like these were really missing.

Overall, it was clear that all of the performers were talented and wanted to engage the younger audience. However, the complex nature of the participation, the challenging music that lacked explanation, and the missing visuals meant it didn’t quite achieve what it set out to do. Simplifying and slowing down the performance would do a lot to truly show children how brilliant orchestral music can be.