JEMIMA PUDDLEDUCK AND FRIENDS

JEMIMA PUDDLEDUCK AND FRIENDS

The Brentwood Theatre

12.12.11

The unexpected opening – a performer becomes Beatrix Potter before our eyes – helps the rapt young audience [from Willowbrook School when I popped in] understand the magic of live theatre: magic that will let Jemima fly, Nutkin punt across to Owl Island, and Tom Kitten climb up the chimney.

Adrian Mitchell's delightful adaptation, with a lovely traditional score by Stephen McNeff, makes an accessible alternative to brasher, noisier seasonal shows. Ray Howes' lively production maximises the stage area, with a batterie de cuisine above the entrance, and woodland around the action. The costumes [Joy Dunn] are beautifully realised, with masks allowing full facial expression. Old Brown was especially impressive.

The energetic young cast struck up an immediate rapport with the audience; Katie-Elizabeth Allgood's Potter not merely a narrator, but a creator of jam roly-poly and a host of animal characters: Hannah Douglas's naive Jemima, Tim Gutteridge's seductive Foxy Gentleman, Stephen Gunshon's Squirrel, and Nick Pack's nimble Jeremy Fisher [choreography by Sarah O'Sullivan].

So much to enjoy in these four tales – the wooden ducks, the chicken perched atop the summerhouse, the riddles, the animal puppets and the real dog. And not forgetting the charming songs [MD Ian Southgate] – Who Likes the Rain, I Had a Cat, In Autumn Time …


production photo by Carmel Jane Photography