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A triumph of charm and imagination Swallows & Amazons The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton **** IT IS amazing what you can achieve with a
few bits of scrap wood, a cheap rainbow coloured feather duster, a
couple of bin bags and bags and bags of imagination. And that is what children have, or at least
should have if we allow them to be children, in abundance and they had
no trouble lapping up this charming story of wars and pirates, robbers
and killer birds. The language and attitudes are a little dated
from Arthur Ransome's time - the book came out in 1930 and was set in
1929 - and health and safety would be shredding their hi-viz jackets in
an attack of the vapours at the thought of four children, the youngest
seven and the eldest 13, sailing off alone to camp on an island in a
lake in the Lake District, but those were more innocent times. And to become immersed in them again is a joy,
this is childhood as it should be full of adventures. We have seen more and more expensive productions,
with special effects costing more than a four bedroomed house; we can
watch TV on our phones and today's video games can be confused
with reality; but director Tom Morris, co-director of War Horse
incidentally, manages a whole lake, a flock of giant cormorants, two
sailing boats, a devastating storm, rowing boats and a pirate battle
with what appears to be not much more than a tenner and a trip to B&Q –
and we believed every second. Theatre is make believe, only true and real in
our imagination and the children packing the first night audience were
afloat in the Lake District from the off. Titty Walker, third eldest of the Walker
children, played with easy confidence by Akiya Henry, and older sister
Susan Walker, played with proper primness by Katie Moore, could perhaps
pass as young girls from a distance.
And Richard Holt, a little pompous, in strict
1929 style, as the family leader and oldest brother John had the gangly
look of a teenager; but then we had Roger. Roger, aged seven, played with a gay abandon by
Stewart Wright, had the slight problem of being the largest of the four
children and had a moustache and beard – but this is a show about
imagination and the fact we had an adult, and a very obvious one at
that, playing a child was all part of the fun. The kids adored him and
every adult would like to join him in being a child again. I am not quite so sure about the Amazons, Celia
Adams as Nancy Blackett who had a penchant for disembowling people and
boiling them in oil and sister Peggy played with equal enthusiasm for
extreme forms of death and destruction. The pair were excellent but as a
Lancastrian I am always wary of girls with Yorkshire accents who seem so
enamoured with violence. It's a cultural thing. For those who do not know the story the Walker
children wave goodbye to mum, Hilary Tones, in their sailing boat
Swallow and after a skirmish join forces with the Blackett's in
their boat Amazon, to wage war on adults, the barbarians, and in
particular the Blackett's uncle, writer James Turner, on his houseboat,
or Captain Flint as he is in the childrens' imaginations. Along the way
we have a crime which is solved by the children and everyone lives
happily every after, or at least happily enough to engage in a final
pirate battle. Around it all are the musicians in their grey
coats who are also stage hands, special effects, extra characters and no
doubt sold ice creams in the interval.
Even as musicians they had to be versatile,
playing enough instruments for an orchestra three times the size and, as
well as playing, they had to provide the waves, (two blue ribbons),
giant birds, (bin bags and scythes), rowing boats, (boards and castors),
rocks (nether regions), parrot (feather duster and peg) and all the
other scenes and props and it was all remarkably clever and effective
from the tacking of Swallow to sailing in a storm. One glorious moment is when Roger is sitting at
the front of Swallow with a special effects musician flicking water in
his face as the wind rises – and again when Roger finally swims without
a foot on the floor. The music and lyrics, incidentally, are by
Neil Hannon and they add to an enjoyable evening providing running
themes with an economic script by Helen Edmundson Cleverly, in a show which runs for almost two and
a half hours, the cast start to engage the audience more and more until
the final half hour becomes full audience participation, posh panto,
finally ending with two large model boats, one Swallow, the other
Amazon, sailing to the back of the stalls lifted aloft by the
audience. This is the second production by the Children's
Touring Partnership, their first was the marvellous Goodnight Mr Tom,
which was at the Grand last year. The excellent set and costumes
for that and for this were by Robert Innes Hopkins. To 28-04-12. Roger Clarke
THIS wonderful children's musical play,
based on an Arthur Ransome book, has a spell-binding atmosphere that
makes it equally enjoyable for adults. So much clever work and imagination has gone into
the staging of the story, directed by Tom Morris of War Horse fame, the
audience are quickly caught up in the adventure of the sail-away Walker
children (Swallows). Even the fact that adults are in the roles of
John, Susan, Titty and seven-year-old Roger - the latter played by
Stewart Wright sporting a moustache and seven o'clock shadow - doesn't
matter, and at times adds to the fun. The props are fascinating....sinister flying
cormorants with wings made of black bin-liners and garden shear beaks, a
colourful parrot created by a colourful feather duster and secateurs,
and rowing boats made from flat pieces of board on castors. Captain John (Richard Holt), Titti (Akiya Henry),
Susan (Katie Moore) and Roger set sail on another oddly crafted boat for
Wildcat Isand where they encounter the Amazons (Blackett youngsters
Nancy, Celia Adams, and Peggy, Sophie Waller), pirates, savages and
other enemies. And the remarkably inventive story ends with two
model boats, containing tiny figures, 'sailing' through the stalls with
the help of the audience which, on opening night included several
hundred Brownies dressed as Swallows or Amazons. Terrific contributions, too, from the on-stage
musicians who do much more than play instruments in a delightful play
which runs to 28.04.12. Paul Marston
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