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This lion is a delight for all ages
The Butterfly Lion Malvern Theatres ***** DANIEL
Buckroyd’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book
The Butterfly Lion
is a delight from start to finish. Buckroyd has done a fantastic job of conveying
his own enthusiasm for the work and instilling that same feeling in the
audience. This is a quirky story within a story, with time
shifts and geographical relocations which in other hands could be
confusing, but which Buckroyd and his cast deliver smoothly and
credibly, transporting the audience across decades and continents from
moment to moment. Narrators become characters, characters play their
younger selves, and from the very start of the play we care about
those characters’ lives and how this odd tale will unfold. Former Children’s Laureate Morpurgo has of course
written on the theme of war before - War Horse opens at Birmingham
Hippodrome - and this story manages to touch on the horror and brutality
of The First World War, whilst retaining an overall positive, uplifting
if somewhat wistful mood, making this play suitable for children as well
as adults. With this in mind I did find it a shame that the
times of the showings were not better suited for children, with the
Wednesday matinée being rather too early for school children at 2.30pm
and evening performances slightly too late at 7.30. Catch the Saturday
matinée if you have children or grandchildren to take! The central story follows the life of Bertie,
from his lonely childhood in Africa through boarding school and
battlefield, and his friendships with Millie and a white lion whose life
he saves and swears to protect forever.
Adam Buchanan does an amazing job of playing
runaway schoolboy Michael as well as versions of Bertie from toddlerhood
to childhood to adulthood, often in the same scene! Gwen Taylor deserves
similar praise for her convincing shifts between Millie as a young girl
and Millie as an old woman. Or at least that’s what we think she
is… Taylor’s stage and television appearances (most famously perhaps in
Duty Free and Barbara and more recently in Coronation
Street) make her a familiar face to most, and it is lovely to see
her on stage clearly enjoying every moment of the production, along with
the rest of the cast. A special commendation must go to Lloyd Notice
who is present throughout but somehow only becomes visible when
narrating or playing a part and then fades back out of our consciousness
when manipulating the rather wonderful puppet that is the white lion. Notice handles the puppet in a way that really
brings it to life, despite its deliberate lack of realism or moving
facial features. In one scene we see twenty three year old Buchanan
playing nine year old Bertie saying an emotional goodbye to a raggedy
lion puppet operated by Notice. It sounds bizarre. It sounds like it
shouldn’t work. It does. Somehow we totally believe in this regal white
lion. I don’t think I’m the only one who had tears in my eyes. Clever and moving, magical and sweet, this is a
heart-warming show with all the necessary elements of mystery, wonder
and surprise. Scene changes are seamless and the bright greens and
yellows of the African veld make for a beautiful backdrop. Music and lighting have been carefully considered
and the whole production ties together beautifully. Even the Adonis Blue
butterflies which appear at start and end of the play are a wonderful
spectacle. My only disappointment is that there were some empty seats in
the theatre, which may be down to the timings of the shows. You don’t
need children as an excuse to see this play though so book your tickets
now. Thoroughly recommended. But don’t forget your hankie. To 19-10-13. Amy Rainbow The Butterfly Lion moves on to Nottingham, Glasgow, Richmond and Brighton.
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