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| Edinburgh : A&E : Festivals : Fringe Reviews |
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 Childrens |
Rating Guide None = Unmissable 
= UnwatchablePage number refers to the Fringe programme The Gruffalo's Child. (Page 10). Drams
.Venue Assembly at George Street. (Venue 3). Address 54 George Street. Reviewer Felicity King-Evans. This is a beautifully staged play. There's an elegant and creepy set which is supported by amazing movement, song and dance. The use of narrative is excellent and allows seamless and easily understood character change. The male actor is particularly gifted, moving through a variety of animals and characters and encouraging the audience to interact and laugh. Unfortunately, if I am honest, the play is mostly appealing to Mums, Dads and reviewers. The five year old I had borrowed watched for a bit and then started wriggling and she is a big Gruffalo's Child fan. It seems kids just don't appreciate stunning visuals, they need interaction and constant attention-seizing wonders. Otherwise, sitting still for that long is going to transform the best-behaved child into a monster. It is an enchanting production, though, and if you can ensure you sit at the front then the toothy costumes will hold their attention to the end. The further away you are, the whinier your offspring are likely to be. ©Felicity King-Evans 11 August 2006 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com. Runs to August 28 at 14:00 every day. Company - Tall Stories. Company Website - www.tallstories.org.uk .
Drams Not even a soft pre-show tipple needed. Venue C Central (Venue 54). Address Carlton Hotel, North Bridge. Reviewer Lauren McKie. "Fantastic" it claims - and so it is! Certain to provide children with plenty to discuss for the rest of the day and from one of the greatest imaginations ever caught on paper - a story I know I will never grow out of - Fantastic Mr Fox! For those of us who did not go through such children's classics as "The Magic Finger", "The Witches", "The Twits", "Matilda", "The BFG", "James and The Giant Peach" and "George's Marvellous Medicine" as fast as today's children go through the latest computer games, these stories are the stuff which shape healthy child minds into healthy childish adult minds - like mine. The story centres around a family of foxes who pride themselves on having a luxurious meal of chicken, goose or duck on the table every night. This is due to Mr Fox being such a "fantastic" thief from the farmers on the surrounding land. These farmers are Bogis, Bunce and Bean - "one fat, one short and one lean" - and they are played here with vivacity - something often lacking in the villains of productions aimed at children. Not only do they convince us that they are very smelly and a little tipsy on cider perhaps, but they get right in amongst the audience and frighten us close up! The performances of the fox family are convincing and Mr Fox cetainly wins the affection of the audience, but really it's the narrator/badger who steals the show. A confident, exhuberant compere is a good thing to have when you have to capture the imagination of a large - and very young - audience - and this production has one. As well as some projections to present the parts of this story which cannot easily be shown on stage with a small budget - the whole production fits very well together. The only point I can make - and it is not important enough to disrupt the enjoyment of the performance - is that in a few cases the syncopation and pitch is lost between pre-recorded music and performers onstage. This makes the benefits of having a live music performer who can follow the cast, very obvious. Not just for children, but for childish adults too - this production is as fantastic as the name suggests! ©Lauren McKie 09 August 2006 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Runs till August 19 at 10:15 (45 mins). Company Rubber Duck Theatre. Company Website www.rubberducktheatre.co.uk .
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