FESTIVAL KIDS | Reviews

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D E K C U T

SAM ROSE IN THE SHADOWS Warm and uplifting tale about sadness ●●●●●

It’s a strange feeling, coming out of a show about sadness with a smile on your face. Even before this piece from puppetry and theatre company Tucked In begins, a warm atmosphere is in the air, buoyed by gentle ukulele songs and pre-show chatter with the audience about the weather. And even when we meet the unhappy Sam Rose a life-sized rod puppet his sadness is locked up inside the beautiful metaphor of a sealed box, a weight he is doomed to lug about wherever he goes.

Sam’s son Ivan believes his dad spends his days battling

dragons, meanwhile Sam walks the shadowy streets, trying to come up with clever ways of destroying his box. It’s only after Ivan catches up with him and winds up in peril, that Sam realises exactly what’s at stake, and what he needs to do to gradually lighten his emotional load. Tucked In’s sensitive allegory on depression is as smart and

savvy as it is touching; it moves as much through laughter as through tenderness. There is no heartrending woe or tear-jerking pain here. Instead there’s a brilliantly created Mancunian oracle-therapist dishing out advice on how to find the key to that box, a courage-laden climax, and an uplifting message about talking through troubles with support from loved ones.

By building upon the metaphor of the box, the piece presents

a frank and unsentimental picture, while the cast’s comic timing and eye for character means the mood is kept from turning maudlin. The only point at which things might get a little overwhelming for younger ones is the scene with the key-keeper, a clawed monster in a misty lair whose terror is perhaps a little too vivid. Demons aside, never has a story about sadness felt so positive. (Lucy Ribchester) Bedlam Theatre, 225 9893, until 24 Aug, noon, £9 (£7).

L R A E Y S S A J

STARBIRD Puppetry and storytelling lights up the night ●●●●●

There are a few key ingredients you need to entertain young children, and this show has pretty much got all of them. An engaging storyteller, Mara Menzies interacts with the children as if they were sitting in the library at school, instantly taking away any possible anxieties about being in a theatre. Then there’s colour and lots of it. From the

moment you enter the theatre, the beautiful handmade set grabs you, concocted from countless pieces of material to evoke a vibrant jungle, which is home to the equally colourful starbird.

The puppets, too, are cute and charming, with baby starbirds venturing out into the world until a moment of peril calls them back home (via a lovely piece of whole audience participation). The storyline, however, could use some tightening. Sharp and clear at first, it starts to meander midway through, when interesting aspects are told rather than shown and introducing the puppets becomes more important than the plot. But there are some magical touches here, and it’s a gentle intro to theatre for ages three and over. (Kelly Apter) Scottish Storytelling Centre, 556 9579, until 26 Aug, 11am, £8 (£6).

114 THE LIST 22 Aug–19 Sep 2013

THE ADVENTURE Clever and exciting interactive fun ●●●●● YURTAKIDS: UNLEASHED Chains, chains and more chains ●●●●●

It’s not unheard of for a show to start well, then descend steadily downhill but The Adventure does the exact opposite. From a fairly lacklustre start (intentional, as it turns out), it just gets better and better. In the interest of making it as fresh and exciting for

you and your young companion as it was for ours, no details will be shared here. Suffice to say, during our quest to help two young siblings find their father, we do indeed go on one heck of an adventure.

At times, it’s like we’re all participating in an

episode of CSI, then one of those computer games where you find objects and solve clues to leave the room and the surprise climax is straight out of a crime action novel. Along the way, each location has been painstakingly set with objects to drive the story along, many of them imparting scientific knowledge in the process.

Although a little scary in places, the cast works hard to reassure and encourage young ones and by halfway through, it’s clear the grown-ups are as hooked and intrigued as their young charges. (Kelly Apter) Pleasance Up The Hill, 556 1513, until 25 Aug, 11am, 2pm & 5pm, £12 (£9).

Given that human beings are said to develop more between birth and the age of five than at any other point in our lives, creating a show that appeals to everyone in that age bracket is a task-and-a-half. And sitting next to those kids, of course, is an adult who, if at all possible, would like to be entertained too. Ticking all those boxes is hard, but certainly

not impossible. With Unleashed, however, Italy’s Scarlattine Teatro doesn’t quite manage to achieve that goal. Using chains as their main focus fat ones, thin ones, long ones, short ones two dancers move around the space dangling metal as they go. Some moments work well opening a flap on the stage floor to pull out a bowl (eliciting lots of rapt expressions), and using magnetic fishing rods to collect their chains.

But tiny ones just want to grab the chains (and, ideally, shove them in their mouths) and there isn’t enough structure for older children. The live percussion works beautifully, but this show needs more than chains to sustain itself. (Kelly Apter) Summerhall, 0845 874 3001, until 25 Aug, 10.30am, £8 (£7).