THE ALCHEMIST. To 13 April.
Tour
THE ALCHEMIST
by Paulo Coelho, adapted by the company in 2001
Cornish Theatre Collective Tour to 13 April 2006
Runs 1hr 45min One interval
Review: Hazel Brown 3 April at Lighthouse Poole
Fable of a shepherd who seeks riches in the East, that engages and charms .
Starting as a Christmas production in 2001, this touring version captures all the wonder and charm of Paulo Coelho’s original story, the fable of a Spanish shepherd who seeks treasure in the East.
The atmosphere of a Moorish market place is set by the five performers playing a variety of instruments from drums to accordion, mingling with the entering audience. Santiago, a shepherd boy who dreams of Egypt, the Pyramids and buried treasure, is played with wide-eyed innocence by Clara Perez. With little idea of the distance from Andalusia to Egypt, he sets out on his quest, meeting a fortune teller, crossing the sea in a sailing ship to Tangiers, and there working for a crystal merchant. Later he meets an Englishman seeking The Alchemist.
They set out together for the oasis of Al Fayoum in a caravan of traders. At the oasis, Santiago meets The Alchemist and falls in love with the beautiful, sloe-eyed Fatima. He and the Alchemist eventually travel on, get caught up in tribal desert warfare and arrive at a Coptic monastery. Santiago travels on alone to the pyramids, is beaten by robbers and learns the truth about his treasure.
The scope of this story is brilliantly evoked by both actors and set. The actors don hats or shawls to become sheep, traders or chieftains, making noises to evoke camels and hubble bubble pipes, as well as playing instruments. Five blocks are moved around the stage to become all the sites in the story: a sacristy, a ship (with brilliantly coloured silks wafted as the sails), the streets of Tangiers, camels (with the addition of puppet camel heads on broomsticks) and all the other places - fantastic imagery achieved with the minimum of fuss.
Apart from Perez, the ensemble cast play all the myriad characters slipping seamlessly from one role to the next and are engaging and effective in telling what is really a dramatized story. Take a child to see this show and they will love every minute, whilst the adults can re-engage with the hope and trust they felt as children and emerge enchanted.
Santiago: Clara Perez
Fatima: Louise Mohammed
The Englishman: Edward Jaspers
The Alchemist: David Chittenden
Crystal Merchant: Chand Martinez
Director: Dominic Knutton
Designer: Paddy Haughton
Lighting: Thomas Langford
Composer/Musical Director: Phil Innes
Additional Music: Helen Speed
Associate designer: David Matthews
2006-04-10 09:53:27