Soaking up Spring sunshine in Greenwich Park before venturing to Greenwich Theatre we take a moment to breathe in the clear air and reflect on how lucky we are to live in a city with so many green spaces and cultural delights, writes Ed, Ingrid, Frida and Woody Gray…
Spring has definitely arrived in Greenwich Theatre with a new season that offers much for families and we are here to sample two plays, the epic Middle Eastern Tales from a Thousand and One Nights, and Breathe, the journey of an acorn from sapling to mighty oak writes Ed, Ingrid, Frida and Woody Gray.
Our two young sapling reviewers, Frida and the aptly named Woody, plant themselves in the comfy seats of the stalls and the house lights go down to reveal three actors resplendent in wood-effect costume. We were introduced to a miniature forest, brought to life using innovative live camera work enlarged into big-screen action. We journeyed through the life of the forest, season by season, adventuring with a little acorn boy puppet called Seedling- a seed lucky enough to make it from sapling to oak.
The production was informative, through songs and puppetry we learnt about the 600-plus species of birds living in our forests.
‘I love these beautiful bird sounds, it really feels like we are in the rarest of woods’, said Woody.
We discovered that trees talk to each other, much like us, chatting through their roots – a world wood web – and that the seed must learn to wait for the right moment to become a tree – very good advice for all young saplings looking to become oaks: don’t rush, live in the moment, bury your screen, tune into natural vibes and breathe.
I could sense reviewer Frida was at peace, growing imperceptibly slowly and silently beside me as I held her hand. ’It’s very chillaxing’, she mused.
It wasn’t long before we set sail for Greenwich again, back on the 188, on diversion, journeying far and wide through the seas of traffic in the wilds of South East London. Once inside, the house lights revealed a minimal stage set, the palace of King Shahry?r, home to Scheherazade and her insomniac sister.
This classic compendium of folk tales has been given new life by an ensemble cast from Dragonboy Productions directed by Eliot Giuralarocca. The misogynist King, working out his issues with women in the worst possible ways, meets his match when feisty Scheherazade takes him to task through her never-ending tales. With her wit and wisdom and gutsy girl power, she wraps him up in words until he is so hooked on the next punch line that her execution date disappears over the horizon.
It was a slightly sleepy start but once we were underway Dragonboy Productions threw everything into this version of the Tales. Puppetry, silhouettes, song and dance from the very talented actor-musicians had the audience laughing out loud.
After the interval, Scheherazade introduced us to Sinbad and his fantastic voyages, imaginatively brought to life with props and puppets.
‘I loved the puppets, especially the wicked old man,’ revealed Woody.
‘I would love to travel on adventures like Sinbad and meet strange and wonderful people,’ countered his big sister.
And it wasn’t long before we were back on the 188, grateful for the thousand and one blessings of theatre and reflecting on a line from the play ‘We are all just passengers, passing through.’
Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London, SE10 8ES until 16th April.
Admission: £10 – £15.50
Check events, times and booking: https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/
