THE SINGING RINGING TREE NTC tour to 1 February.
Tour
THE SINGING RINGING TREE
adapted by Philip Harrison
NTC Touring Theatre To 1 February 2002
Runs 1hr 35min One interval
TOUR INFO 01665 602586
Review Timothy Ramsden 23 December at Capheaton Village Hall
Small-scale wonder working as this magical show tours village halls.This East European Beauty and the Beast, known in Britain mainly through a TV version – there's also a 1957 film – makes an entrancing Christmas entertainment in a production mounted jointly by NTC and young people's drama specialists Cleveland Theatre Company.
Its chief attraction is the fluid visual versatility with which a miniscule acting area and limited lighting rig create entire and varying landscapes. Through these the Prince quests in search of the magic tree for his beloved. She, Princess Thousand Beauties, has a thing or two to learn about humility and she isn't going to let the mere satisfactory outcome of the quest teach her any too quickly.
Though the production specifically aims for a 7-12 year old audience, its sheer theatricality and the speed of its transformations should satisfy most older audience members too. (There's always the awkward age range in the teens when young people are still putting a distance between their present selves and childhood – for them the magic and myth might be excessive, but not for certain).
A salute to all this company; their life is not easy option. Each night there are different performance conditions – playing space, acoustic, even the audience layout can change according to what each venue's dimensions allow.
This is without the any-weather daily (and nightly) winter travel across some of England's most northerly, remote and upland terrain. It's amazing they sustain the tour, let alone give such high-energy, colourful performances.
Dwarf: Bidi Iredale
Princess Thousand Beauties: Shelley O' Brien
King: David Reakes
Prince: David Tarkenter
Director: Philip Harrison
Designer: Wendy Meadley
Lighting: Craig Davidson
Costumes: Cath Young, Alex McDonald
Music: Martyn Harry
2002-02-01 09:50:11