In the second installment of our Christmas round up we look at our top picks for Family and Chidlren’s theatre across the Midlands and the South East.
George’s Marvellous Medicine
The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham : 26 November – 6 February
Roald Dahl’s amazing story about a young boy who makes a marvellous new medicine to cure his grandmother of her terrifying temper. But when his grandmother drinks his special new potion, the most incredible things start to happen. And George’s adventure has just begun!
http://www.oldreptheatre.org.uk/
The Railway Children
Brook, Chatham : 10 – 30 December
Edith Nesbit’s beautiful story, told with a split-level set featuring the mouth of a railway tunnel and a chorus provided by the Blunderbus Youth Ensemble this is sure to be a real festive treat.
http://www.medway.gov.uk/index/leisure/theatres.htm
Cindermouse
Norwich Puppet Theatre : 18 – 24 December 
A wonderful show and as the title might suggest a twist on the tale of Cinderella. Told through the use of fantastically clever glove and rod puppet mice. It’s a charming show and we were lucky enough to catch it earlier in the year when it was on at the Little Angel Theatre.
http://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/
A Merry Little Christmas
Junction, Cambridge : 8 December – 3 January
Join an intrepid group of adventurers on the most exciting Christmas journey ever! Gomito productions have created this special show combining fairytales and carols especially for the Junction using their uniquely imaginative style of storytelling featuring live music, puppets and snowflakes!
http://www.junction.co.uk/
Snow Queen
Chichester Festival Theatre : 16 – 31 December
CFT have brought the Hans Christian Andersen favorite completely up to date in a new musical adaptation by Bryony Lavery and Jason Carr. The show is performed by over 70 members of the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre and features seven stories all wrapped up into one. The main story however follow Greta, a little girl who loses her best friend, a little boy, Kay. She must travel through many different lands to reach the Snow Queen’s Ice Palace.
http://www.cft.org.uk/
Our top picks for Christmas across the South West and Wales
Christmas is coming and the family shows are growning! As the Christmas holidays approach we thought we’d share our tips on some great family shows. Over the next few days the Family and Children’s Theatre Blog will be posting our hot shows from different regions of the UK starting today with the South West and Wales. We’ve decided to concentrate on theatre and dance shows rather than on pantos.
We can’t possibly cover all the wonderful shows that are happening across the country but if you have seen a show and think it worthy of a mention please get in touch or post a comment.
Ali Baba
Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol : 9 December – 17 January
A brand new re-telling of the Arabian folk tale about the two very different brothers Ali Baba and Kasim Baba and how their life is completely changed when Ali discovers a secret. Directed by Sally Cookson with music by Benji Bowler (the team behind We’re Going on a Bear Hunt).
http://tobaccofactorytheatre.com/
A Christmas Carol
Sherman Theatre, Cardiff : 4 December 4 – 9 January
It’s not the only production of Dicken’s festive favourite this year but this is thought to be one of the best. There’s a touch of extra humour in Gary Owen’s new version with some modern twists including references to the MPs’ expenses scandal, hedge funds and the war in Afghanistan.
http://www.shermancymru.co.uk/
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Phoenix Exeter : 9-28 December
Grab your wetsuit and join Captain Nemo and the Nautilus as Quirk Theatre present an original adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic adventure story featuring singing, dqancing, pupperty and even film. This show is bound to make a splash!
http://www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/
3 Little Pigs
The Drum, Plymouth : 1-27 December
Mixing live action and some brilliant puppets this show is a real delight. Advertised as for 2 to 7 but a sure bet for all the family.
http://www.theatreroyal.com/
How Cold My Toes / Hansel and Gretel
Bristol Old Vic : 15 December – 16 January / 04 December – 23 January
Bristol Old Vic have two offerings for children this Christmas. How Cold My Toes for the over twos is a collaboration with local dance company Champloo. There’s also Kneehigh’s fantastic take on Hansel and Gretel which is a merry, witty and slightly scary re-telling of the fairytale with music, poetry and some amazing ‘gadgets and gizmos’.
http://www.bristololdvic.org.uk/
Arabian Nights
Courtyard Stratford-Upon-Avon : 5 December – 30 January
This year’s RSC Christmas production directed by Dominic Cooke. It’s Wedding Night at the palace of King Shahrayar and in the morning the new Queen Shahrazad is to be put to death like a thousand young brides before her. She has the one gift that can save her – the gift of storytelling. A show that is sure to bewitch the imagination.
http://www.rsc.org.uk/
Hot on the heals of their great success with the Family Theatre Project, Theatro Techis in Camden are launching Youth Theatre an opportunity to give teenagers the chance of staging their own play and learning about the different aspects of a theatre production.
The production will run at the weekends beginning on the 16 January and will culminate in a final performance on 28 February.
Youth Theatre will give teenagers interested in acting, directing, playwriting, lighting, set or costume design the chance to work with industry professionals to put on their own production and learn about the varying theatre roles.
The project is completely free and if you are interested in taking part please contact Theatre Technis by 30 December.
Address: Theatro Technis, 26 Crowndale Rd, N1 1TT, London
Email: info@theatrotechnis.com
Phone : 0207 387 6617
6 December 2009 – 24 January 2010
This Christmas the Unicorn Theatre present the traditional fairytale of Cinderella but set on a boat. Cinderella and her father live on the boat Cassandra which has been turned into a retirement home for elderly magicians and Cinders has her work cut out making sure everyone is fed and looked after. The most striking feature of the production is the set, which features an enormous boat on a revolve, which turns to reveal a striking white staircase for the palace scenes.
The production has some splendid twists as Queen Felicity, superbly played by Samantha Adams, battling against a public that are rapidly loosing their love for the monarchy attempts to drum up support by marrying off the Prince; publicity stunts including the staging of an amusing ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ style hunt for the bride to be. The elderly magicians played by Adams, Julie Hewlett and Justin Butcher are lovely to watch and have a charmingly funny chemistry. Although, I wasn’t overly keen on the spiteful alternative-rock style ugly stepsisters but then, I suppose that’s the point.
This fresh telling of the old classic is brightly done but it’s a shame not all of the new angles are fully explored and we don’t get to hear more about the Prince’s back story and his arrival from the mysterious but beautiful land of the Butterfly Republic.
Address: Unicorn Theatre, 147 Tooley Street, More London, Southwark, London, SE1 2HZ
Website: www.unicorntheatre.com
Email: admin@unicorntheatre.com
Phone: 020 7645 0560
The Gruffalo, tells the story of a little mouse in search of a precious nut in a deep, dark would this is a bouncy and lively adaptation of the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book which is now a classic in every child of the noughties home.
On her quest for food poor little mouse crosses paths with a wily Fox, blundering Air Sergeant Major Owl and a vain Mexican dancing Snake who are all determined to gobble her up but she cleverly manages to escape their clutches by telling them of the terrible Gruffalo, who as every child knows has terrible tusks and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in its terrible jaws.
The movement work and choreography is inventive and clever, with clear attention to detail in creating the animals which is lovely to watch and is aided by some great vocal sound effects. Real praise must go to Naomi Said, Napoleon Ryan and Alan Park who have more energy than you can shake a very large stick at and throw open the chance for the children to interact with the show. The audience willingly jump at the chance but not always with the expected results, keeping the cast firmly on their toes.
It would have been nice to see a brighter and bolder design to fit in with with Scheffler’s wonderful illustrations but the big personalities of the characters more than makes up for this and the show will certainly prove a great treat for young people over the Christmas period.
For all those Gruffalo lovers out there the festive season holds another treat in store, The Gruffalo will arrive on our TV screens on BBC One on the 24th December in a 30-minute animated film featuring an all-star voice cast. Including Robbie Coltrane as The Gruffalo, Helena Bonham Carter as the narrator, Rob Brydon as the Snake, James Corden as the Mouse, John Hurt as the Owl and Tom Wilkinson as the Fox. It is produced by Magic Light Pictures.
Address: Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7EZ
Website: http://www.nimaxtheatres.com/
Phone: 0844 579 1971
21 November 2009 – 31 January 2010
Somewhat based around Stravinsky’s 1911 ballet, Petrushka tells the story of three puppets and their controlling puppet master. The rather mischievous Petrushka, a Russian relative of our own Mr. Punch, is the pride of his masters show – a puppet who can move on his own without any strings. He attempts to escape the clutches of his master but is drawn back out of love for the graceful ballerina puppet. Like Punch, Petrushka has his ancestry in the Italian Commedia dell’arte character of Pulcinella and it is great to see the influence of Commedia in this production with a chorus of Zanni puppets who appear throughout the show to tidy up.
The puppets are gorgeous to look at and the operation is truly outstanding. The three operators Ronnie Le Drew, Mandy Travis and Rebekah Wild are dressed in black velvets allowing them to disappear so one might imagine Petrushka really is moving on his own. The blend between live action and puppet work really brings something special to this production especially with Josh Darcy’s silky voice and perfect meanness as the manipulative puppet master. The action is cleverly choreographed with Stravinksy’s score, played as a piano duet by David Nettle and Richard Markham, and the play is smartly contextualised with some haunting soundscapes and an intelligent lighting design.
Petrushka is visually splendid and like a great Russian novel guides us on emotive tale interspersed with humorous moments, a real treat for adults and children alike to watch over the Christmas period.
Address: The Little Angel Theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, Islington, N1 2DN
Website: www.littleangeltheatre.com
Email: info@littleangeltheatre.com
Phone: 020 7226 1787
On Sunday I attended the showback performance of the Family Theatre Project at Theatro Technis in Camden. It was brilliant to see the participation of so many families in this unique theatre event. The families have obviously worked very hard over the last four weekends to put together this production. They started at the very beginning by writing an original script, loosely based on the Russian folk tale of Baba Yaga. Director George Eugeniou was keen that they enjoy total theatre; not just getting involved in the performance side but also in the production side and the families helped design the set, lighting and costumes as well as producing their own marketing leaflets.
The production itself told the story of a boy who getting distracted by his desire to buy a toy soldier at a stall in the famous Stables Market in Camden becomes detached from his mother and two sisters. The boy follows the mysterious Mr. Night who promises him the toy soldier and leads him on an adventure. Meanwhile his family are left panic stricken and begin a search for the missing boy. In their pursuit the two girls encounter a fish, a squirrel and a mouse who each present them with a gift to protect them. As they continue the search they cross paths with the evil Baba Yaga who kidnaps and eats children, frantically running to escape her clutches they only evade capture by using the precious charms given to them by the three animals. They finally manage to catch up with Mr. Night and are re-united with their sportive brother.
What was wonderful about this production is the way everyone worked together, you could really sense the community feel of it all. Everybody there had really enjoyed participating in the project, oozing enthusiasm and were rightly proud of what they had put on. It was not an easy ride either, there were times when things were tough and time was short; some things in theatre are always the same! The project has also really opened people up to the workings of the theatre and offered people new opportunities and experiences as well as offering young people the chance to see what working in theatre can really be like, we could even be watching some of the stars of the future.
How meaningful it was to see families enjoying creating their own theatre for a change. It is hoped that this project will become an annual event and I can’t wait to see it grow and expand I look forward to seeing the Family Theatre Project in 2010.
22 December – 03 January
Footsbarn’s Christmas Cracker
For the first time ever, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre will open its doors over the festive season for a Christmas production. Following their Shakespeare Party in 2008, the acclaimed and totally unique Footsbarn Theatre will return to the Globe to present their Christmas Cracker, a family feast of carnival, comedy and Christmas cheer. The production will run for 18 performances between 22 December 2009 and 3 January 2010, with a combination of 11am, 2pm and 5.30pm performances.
Footsbarn’s Christmas Cracker promises a midwinter celebration of London’s rich, bawdy, pagan past, drawing from festive traditions, and inspired by the complete works of Shakespeare. As an open-air venue, the essence of the show will be brevity, with two half-hour acts around an interval, giving plenty of room for mulled wine and hot food in the break.
Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition and Theatre Tour
Shakespeare’s Globe will also be offering visitors a fascinating introduction to Shakespeare and the London in which he lived and worked. Guests can explore Shakespeare’s London through modern interactive displays, traditional crafts and regular live demonstrations including sword fighting and costume dressings. Included with a ticket to the exhibition is a vivid half-hour tour of the theatre which brings the extraordinary space to life.
A Concert For Winter
On Thursday 10 December everyone is invited to the Globe’s A Concert for Winter, an annual celebration of the Southwark community through song and music. Groups from the Southwark community and from local nursery, primary and secondary schools, will perform in this seasonal concert on the Globe stage arranged by Globe Education.
Address: Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, SE1 9DT
Website: http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/
Email: info@shakespearesglobe.com
Phone: General enquiries – 020 7902 1400, Box Office – 020 7401 9919
