beasts and beauties. To 1 May.

beasts and beauties
- eight tales from Europe
Re-told by Carol Ann Duffy
Adapted by Melly Still and Tim Supple

Bristol Old Vic Main House
Runs 100 minutes till 1 May
Review: Stewart McGill, 8 April 2004

A rare event: stimulating entertainment for all the family - wonderful.
This is a wonderful family show! The idea that the whole family can go to the theatre and each be challenged, stimulated and inspired rarely takes off in this country. All too often parents take their children to seasonal shows or, so-called, family shows, to find themselves bored and embarrassed by inferior material. One only has to cast an eye across the programme of much touring product to see the cynical and cash led material for children being churned out. Melly Still creates a world of fable, fear, humour and surrealism in a quite beautiful telling of eight familiar and not so familiar tales.

Bluebeard opens the collection and is visually and aurally terrifying conjuring up the darkest images of nightmare. The whole auditorium shivered in fear as Zara Ramm's bride discovered the wives of Bluebeard in the secret chamber. Angela Carter re-evaluated fairy tales many years ago and similarly here one feels one is rediscovering material and relishing the journey.

In a hilarious role reversal short' a husband and wife swap duties for a day and whilst wife does just fine the husband causes mayhem at home. This surreal episode culminates with a cow on the roof of the house pulling the husband up the chimney it's wild, eccentric and achingly daft.

With designs ranging from contemporary through pre-Raphealite to folksy Ukranian the show is built around the skills of eight superb story telling animators who seamlessly move from one tale into another in harmony with Terje Isungset who masters a range of unusual percussion instruments reflecting and responding to the diversity of material.

I was encouraged by the genuine laughter of the children in the audience at the literally very cheeky telling of The Emperor's New Clothes, one of the shows strongest tales.

When a house responds to warmly to a show there is a sense of joy and mutual engagement from actors, designers, director and technicians in the creation of such a lively, versatile and truly heart-warming event. In December the RSC set a new benchmark for animated storytelling with Laurence Boswell's Beauty and The Beast, this show shares an emphasis on movement and invention as storytelling devices sharing with the audience the making of the world of the tale.

Produced in association with The National Theatre, Bergan, Norway, I think this is one of the strongest shows yet from the New Bristol old Vic and deserves huge audiences for Easter. Melly Still returns to direct the Christmas show, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and it will be fascinating to see if her invention and wit can be applied to more familiar territory.

CREDITS

Cast
Elaine Claxton
Howard Coggins
Elliot Levey
Bill Nash
Zara Ramm
Vineeta Rishi
Jack Tarlton
Kelly Williams

Director/Designer: Melly Still
Composer/Musical Director: Terje Still
Lighting Designer: Chris Davey
Sound: Jason Barnes

2004-04-15 20:38:30