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Walking The Tightrope
England
Part of the Bank of Scotland Childern's International Theatre Festival
in 2002 more
with EdinburghGuides reviews and info about the Festival including reviews
from pervious years.
Playwright - Mike Kenny from an original idea by Gavin Stride
Director - Kevin Dyer
Set Designer - Katie Sykes
Composer and Music Director - Thomas Johnson
Company - Travelling Light
who commissioned the play with two other theatre companies, New prespectives
Theatre Company and Nottingham Playhouse Roundabout TIE, each of whom
have mounted their own productions
Venue - Traverse Theatre Edinburgh
Dates - 29
May at 7:00pm
31 May at 5:30pm (signed performance on request)
1 June at 12:00pm
Reviewer - Thelma Good
Dishonest troubling message
Esme comes to spend a week with her Grandparents every year at the end
of the schoolholidays, every year she changes. From being a baby, to toddler
to a speaking child and last year she came on her own. This year she's
taller and Grandpa Stan is smaller but where is Nana Queenie. Esme finds
her pink umbrella and her specs but Grandpa tells her Nana has gone......to
be in a circus. Only that's not really what has happened and if you believe
in being honest with children this play will trouble you.
Musician Sarah Moody with accordion and cello gives the piece atmospheric
music while James Walker is a lovely gentle Grandpa, looking after
his grandchild, cooking her tea and telling her stories. Susanna Meese
is young Esme bemused by her Nana's going away, playing at the beach and
clambering on the broadwalk It appears a charming exploration of love
between grandchild and grandparent but I am deeply disturbed by the message
that it's nice or good to lie about what has happened to Esme's Nana.
It also doesn't hang together, for the clearly caring parent who sent
young Esme to travel alone by train and her loving Grandpa we met are
highly unlikely to deceive her in such a way.
Theatre's power is that we can imaginatively explore the realities of
life and death, experiencing through the stage and actors how people cope,
support each other and grow. But at the end of Kenny's play we find Grandpa
saying he will go away eventually, not to the circus, but to become a
cowboy. Esme is not told the truth. Now Father Christmas is a delightful
myth and so is the toothfairy. But this, where Grandparents go off out
of the picture to become circus performers or cowboys, is so deeply troubling,
dishonest and deceitful. I am incredulous that any children's theatre
company let alone three, thought it worthy of production.
For children to trust the world and the adults around, we need to be honest
about what a life is and why it's so precious and finite. Life and death
can be upsetting and sad but facing them squarely is far more strengthening
than this wimpish, dodging the issue piece.
© Thelma Good 29 May 2002
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