THE GIRAFFE AND THE PELLY AND ME. To 1 February.
London.
THE GIRAFFE AND THE PELLY AND ME
by Roald Dahl adapted by Tim Kane Music and lyrics by Ben Glasstone.
Little Angel Theatre 14 Dagmar Passage N1 2DN To 1 February 2009.
Wed-Thu 10am & 1pm (school-term times)/11am & 2pm (school holidays).
Fri 1pm & 5pm (term-times) 2pm & 5pm (holidays).
Sat-Sun 11am & 2pm.
Baby Friendly performance (under 3-s permitted) 11am 10, 31 Jan.
Runs 1hr 25min One interval.
TICKETS: 020 7226 1787.
Review: Timothy Ramsden 28 December.
Utterly delightful show for 3+.
One of the better reasons for wanting to be young gain is to have the delight of experiencing a show like this as a child. Mooching around the street, Billy finds a tumbledown shop that used to be a ‘grubber’, or sweetshop. Next thing he knows it’s become home to the Ladderless.Window Cleaning Company Ltd, formed by a hyperactive monkey, a ladder-substitute giraffe and a bucket-equivalent pelican.
In them Billy finds friends, while the hungry crew find work at the Duke of Hampshire’s 677-window mansion; it’s size isn’t surprising, having seen his limousine. Here they foil a burglary by the snake-like arch-thief Cobra, defeating him in an extended display of teamwork, song and dance. Friendship and virtue triumph, but what makes this piece so magical is the comic energy and detail.
There’s plenty of quick action – just watch that Cobra slither – but time too for graceful movement by the Giraffe, to a gently ‘cello phrase. Pelly also has his moments of graceful flight and swooping, or sudden changes of direction. Throughout, Ben Glasstone’s score, for ‘cello (Hannah Marshall) and clarinet (Susi Evans), propels the sense of action ands complements the creatures’ movements.
There aren’t puppets that subdivide into detailed segments. That’s not how Roald Dahl’s story works. They are big-statement creatures, and their operators give them a loveable grace, providing songs and speaking voices – strong work especially from Mandy Travis, offering confident lower tones for the affluent, becloaked Duke of Hampshire. As a human he contrasts plain young Billy.
There are scene changes, from shop to stately home, then back to shop, but they’re beautifully covered, and the pace kept going by music, smooth and interesting deconstruction of the shop, then finally, as it reopens for business, a lovely ballet of giant sweets followed by a projected kaleidoscope of confectionery.
The giraffe, by the way, is Geraneous, and very fussy what it eats. Even that can be provided for on the ducal estate, while his lordship can see through his cleaned windows again. So, unless you’re a Cobra, it’s a win-win situation. Certainly for members of the Little Angel audience.
Billy: Ronnie Le Drew.
Monkey: Mandy Travis.
Pelly: Michael Fowkes.
Giraffe: Seonaid Goody.
Director/Designer: Peter O’Rourke.
Lighting: David Duffy.
Composer: Ben Glasstone.
2008-12-29 00:20:10