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The Steadfast Tin Soldier - Tour & Scottish Premiere.
Part of the 2003 Puppet and Animation Festival in Scotland.

Creator & Performer - Joy Haynes.
Director - Karen Torley.
Puppets designers and makers - Joy Haynes & Karen Torley.
Company - Banyan Theatre Company email
Reviewer - Kim Bradie
Seen to review at Friday 11th April at The Gateway Theatre Edinburgh.
Run Time - 50mins.
Suggested Age - 3 - 8 years.
Reviewer - Kim Bradie.

Poignant tale beautifully retold.

When a young boy receives the gift of a tin soldier and puts him in charge of his playroom, we see the amazing results. The toys come to life at midnight (as all toys do) when this classic tale unfolds.

A pair of stepladders, an old school desk and a white screen like the sail of a boat set the scene inside the playroom. The desk becomes a mini stage on which intricate and comical string puppets, mischievous teddies, fire engines and others perform their late night antics. The sail, lit from the front by a single lamp, ensures almost all the action is projected onto it in shadow, giving the audience a simplified and enlarged view of the fun.

Various puppets are used along side real toys and everyday objects. Joy Haynes brings them to life, from a duck with a wellie boot for a head to a jack-in-the-box with a real arm, moving head and a very bouncy spring! While skilful use of music, military drum rolls, piano and the soft tinkle of a musical box, all give the production pace. Its gentle wit which adds to the story is particularly appreciated by older children and adults.

Haynes fuses her roles of storyteller and puppeteer, injecting character and movement into everything she touches. At some points she even seems to be playing with the puppets and toys as a child would - this is enjoyable and easy to watch, captivating for the young audience. A captivation nearly lost at one point, when the soldier is knocked from the window of the playroom. As he finds himself making a difficult and perilous voyage back to find his beloved paper ballerina, concentration decidedly dipped. In this overlong, badly lit sequence much squirming and shuffling of children (including my own) resulted, compounded by staging the journey far too low for little heads to see.

That aside, Banyan Theatre's The Steadfast Tin Soldier is a poignant tale beautifully retold and well worth a visit.
© Kim Bradie 11 April 2003. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Review of Banyan Theatre's 2002 production of Little Red Cap
More Info and reviews on the Annual Puppet & Animation Festival held in Scotland in many venues around March/April time.

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