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| Aminal crackers: Tortoise (Jonny Rowden), Bird (Katie Villa) and Hare (Kelly Marie Miller). Photo: Chris Jones |
Tortoise & Hare at Bike Shed Theatre: 27th October – 1st November 2014
It’s Tortoise’s birthday, and we’ve been invited to the
surprise party. Hare’s task has been to decorate the burrow (check), set the
table (check), and hire a chef to cook the birthday feast… Oops! As usual, hyperactive
Hare has been too busy bouncing around the place to finish working her way
through the to-do list. ‘No problem!’ says Hare. ‘I’ll call Pizza-Hutch!’ But if
there’s one thing Tortoise hates more than Hare’s unreliability, it’s junk food,
so he’s going to cook instead. Although, him being a tortoise, that might take
a while… Luckily, ever-practical Bird is on hand with a bright idea: if we all
work together, we can use produce stashed around the burrow to create a
delicious three-course meal in a fraction of the time. But will the healthy
option arrive before the pizza?
The first production from Exeter-based company Aminal, this interactive
kids’ show is a delight from start to finish, fusing fun storytelling, hands-on
food preparation and three cracking comedy performances from devisors Jonny
Rowden (Tortoise), Kelly Mare Miller (Hare), and Katie Villa (Bird). As we all
gather round the giant table – made out of doors, some still with knobs
attached, it’s just one of the many highlights of Laurel Coxon’s genius
make-do-and-mend-style set and costume design – the narrative blends past and
present to reveal the origins of Tortoise and Hare’s chalk-and-cheese relationship
and the burgeoning niggles that are threatening to up-end life in the burrow. Can fun-averse Tortoise and harum-scarum
Hare ever come to recognise each other’s good points, and live in mutually
appreciative and collaborative friendship ever after?
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| Hare-larious - Kelly Miller channels Bugs Bunny and Roger Rabbit. Photo: Chris Jones |
While loosely working with Aesop’s central tenet – slowly
but surely wins the race – the piece also seems keen to draw attention to the
importance of making healthy food choices: Hare, it’s implied, is constantly
hopped up on E-numbers, the many naps she falls into presumably a result of
sugar crashes. And although this element feels a little underdone, that might
be the point – nothing is bound to put kids off vegetables more effectively
than a bunch of adults banging on about how good they are for you, not even if
that adult is wearing a huge crocheted shell – but it’s also impossible to be
anything but utterly beguiled by Hare, who is so rambunctiously appealing that
Tortoise is in danger of losing the popularity contest outright.
Whatever the educational intent, this is a great kids’ show
– engaging and upbeat, cute yet smart, and with enough shifts in action and
immersion to keep short attention spans focused. If the pace slips a little on
occasion, it’s barely noticeable, and all three performers are adept at keeping
even the youngest audience members on track, plus there are plenty of funny
quips and asides to keep Mum and Dad giggling too. Let’s hope Aminal get the
chance to put on a Christmas show at some point. I bet it would be a blast.
Devised by Aminal
Co-produced by Aminal and Bike Shed Theatre
Originally reviewed for Exeunt
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