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list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL KIDS

ARABIAN NIGHTS Whirlwind trip through well-loved tales ●●●●● OUR TEACHER'S A TROLL Fantastic performances bring book to life ●●●●●

Fresh-spun and thrilling, Story Pocket Theatre’s take on the tales of the Arabian Nights is as fine and friendly a piece of storytelling theatre as you are likely to find at the Fringe this year.

You don’t get many of the 1001 nights in an

hour, but the company manage to squeeze in a satisfying handful. They start with Ali Baba and his 40 thieves, dip into a few less well-known stories such as the Little Beggar, swing by a quick Aladdin and end up with the most important one of all, that of Scheherazade, the clever bride who subdues her husband the king’s rage with stories. It’s all led off by Luke Pitman, a twisting, engaging

and hugely physical actor. He draws the whole together, setting up his first story before splitting open the shimmering white minaret which makes up the stage’s only set to reveal his Scheherazade, Yasmin Goodwin, and her grumpy king, William Forde.

Swapping roles as quickly as they swap hats, making light use of the occasional puppet and mixing up the dark side of the stories with bright jewels of comedy, the three ensure that the hour passes in double time. A real treat. (Thom Dibdin) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 24 Aug (not 18), 11.15am, £8–£9 (£6–£7).

There’s some very clever wordplay in Dennis Kelly’s book, Our Teacher's a Troll (as you might expect from the writer of Matilda the Musical) so it takes some equally clever staging to flip it from page to stage. Happily, this co-production from Paines Plough and

Half Moon theatre companies has that in spades. The direction never takes the easy way out if there’s something to be said, a new and interesting way has been unearthed to deliver it. And the performers respond accordingly. Three actors two male, one female take on a myriad of roles with many characters being played by all three of them. Performed in the round, with astute use of a single microphone, the show takes us halfway there then it’s up to our imaginations to fill in the rest.

When the children look up to the sky, at the

enormous troll that has come to wreak havoc in their school, it’s almost as if we can see it, slavering over the deputy head. And as each avenue of help is closed to them, from teachers to the Prime Minister, we’re right behind them when it’s left to the children to win the day. (Kelly Apter) Summerhall, 560 1581, until 23 Aug (not 17), 10.30am, £11–£12 (£9–£10).

PITSCHI, A KITTEN WITH DREAMS One-woman adaptation of a classic for small children ●●●●●

Based on the Swiss children’s story by Hans Fischer, this new solo production from the Brighton- based Komedia offers a simple and gently realised experience for younger children in the mainly pre- school age group. It tells of Pitschi, the smallest of a litter of kittens,

who decides one day that he doesn’t want to be a feline. So he goes out and finds new animals to try to be, including a rooster, a goat, a rabbit and a duck. Although not well-known on these shores, the

original is a lovely, traditional story, and performer Natasha Granger captures something of its homespun warmth here. She tells the tale slowly and clearly, illustrating it with a basket of small soft- toy cats, and invites the children up to stroke Pitschi for reassurance.

Her tone is well-pitched, subdued but with a certain wonder, and when the children in the audience are invited to call out answers or join in with animal impersonations, she retains enough control of the room that the spell the show has built isn’t broken. (David Pollock) Quaker Meeting House, 220 6109, until 23 Aug (not 17), 9.45am, £7.50 (£5).

DECOMPOSED! MY BROTHER’S TURNING INTO A ZOMBIE Comic brotherly tale inspires love of music ●●●●●

Finding a way in to classical music for children is an endless challenge. The misconception that it’s boring and meant exclusively for old people is a genuine hurdle the genre has to leap. So it’s refreshing to find the Classical Mayhem company taking an innovative approach to introducing younger audiences to this style of music. Despite the odd well-placed fart gag and numerous zombie references, the show never dumbs down or patronises.

Returning from a rehearsal one night, a pompous and arrogant conductor finds himself locked out of his own house. Forced to return to his former family home, and the bedroom he used to share with his brother, the conductor reconnects with his sibling and learns a little humility along the way.

Which sounds like a heartwarming story and it is but there are plenty of laughs dotted along his journey of discovery. Much is made of the brothers’ polar opposite personalities, clothing and ideas about tidiness (helped in no small part by the fact Classical Mayhem are themselves identical twins). Some of this is acted out, other sections are sung, with witty

lyrics stitched to famous pieces of classical music and delivered in fine operetta style. There’s also a real, and infectious, love of music at play here, cleverly disguised beneath the brothers’ supposed contempt for it. As the show progresses, the audience is reminded just how much of this music creeps into our everyday lives, affecting our emotions along the way. Well-written, well-performed and with a perfect balance of smart dialogue that grown-ups will love, and enough silly, zombie chat for the kids, Decomposed is what classical music has been waiting for. (Kelly Apter) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 25 Aug, 11.15am, £7–£9.50 (£6–£8.50).

14–25 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 67

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