Touring – reviewed at York Theatre Royal
Guest reviewer: Zoe Giles
The Boy Who Cried Wolf, written by Mike Kenny with stage manager Kirsty Smith, sees York Theatre Royal working with Tutti Frutti once again, and they manage to put together a delight of storytelling, music, dance and acting to re-tell this well known classic tale.
On entering the studio we were met by the characters: Silas – Alex Wingfield, Mum – Florence Russell and Grandad – Guido Garcia Lueches, busy knitting away which instantly made the younger members of the audience feel at ease and part of the production.
Although the set was very limited and some might say basic, clever use of lighting and props along with movement around the stage area led us to believe we were joining Grandad and Silas up high in the mountains, or all warm and cosy at home with the family knitting away for the important jumper of the year competition. We were even treated to snow through clever use of props and lighting.
The children in the audience especially seemed to like the “sheep”, my own son included, who found them hilarious. They were dancing around, giving high fives and even “flossing”. Hearing the children laughing must have been music to the actors‘ ears, knowing their intended audience were enjoying themselves.
The play itself lasts approximately an hour which for the younger children it’s aimed at is the perfect time. I took my 10-year-old son with me. Thankfully he really enjoyed it and found it funny, but in truth I would personally recommend it for slightly younger children and preschoolers as an introduction to the theatre.
A nice touch was the actor’s speaking to the children after the show as they left the studio and engaging them in conversation about the story and encouraging them to draw, paint and do art’s and craft.
Over all a delightful performance from all involved and I would recommend to all with little one’s.
