Little
Violet and The Angel - touring for
8+
Playwright - Philip Osment
Director - Philip Osment
Designer - Carmencita Brojboiu
Lighting Designer - Ian Scott
Composer - Liviu Manolache
Company - Theatre Centre www.theatre-centre.co.uk
Venue - macRobert Arts
Centre Stirling 01786 461081
then to Colchester
Dates - 26 June at 1:30pm,
27 & 28 June at 10:30am, 29 June at 7pm
signed performance, 30 June at 11am & 2pm
3 & 4 July at Mercury Theatre Colchester 01206 573948
Duration -. 80 mins
Reviewer - Thelma Good
Children are the best critics - entrancing in its delicate slow pace
this production had its target audience both boys and girls engrossed
in its richnesses when I saw it.
A British / Romanian artistic collaboration, it has humour, emotional
depth and fine performances as it illuminates its themes of love, loss
and the fear of new experiences, set in heaven and in Romania. In both
settings the backdrop of the sky is beautifully created by Ian Scott's
lightening including a bewitching summer sky full of stars and Carmencita
Brojboiu's flexible set echoes the transformations in the play.
Chris Buckingham as the new Angel Gabriel quickly gets the audience
on his side as he tries, rather timorously, to find and look after the
little girl the Archangel has assigned him. Vlad and Ana-Maria are the
old couple who find Little Violet on their doorstep. David Plimmer is
a heart warming Vlad brimming over with love for the abandoned baby
and Bosnian Etela Pardo is heart breaking as Ana-Maria who can't open
her heart to anything new.
Violet grows from baby to toddler to little girl beautifully brought
to life by the voice and hands of Aneta Forna-Christu - this performance
is the glowing centre of a shining production. This production's marvellously
skilled puppeteer Aneta Forna-Christu and musician/performer Liviu Monolache,
who performs his own hauntingly evocative music and charming songs both
come from Romania. Avital Dvory from Israel and also Liviu Manolache
add their cameo parts as the orphanage bureaucrat and her all important
forms, the Archangel Gabriel having to keep an eye on his slightly feckless
trainee angel and the Village Doctor with his meaningful mmms. This
is well worth seeing whatever your age.
© Thelma Good 26 June 2001
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