Irish Times writers review Paula Meehan's new play, The Wolf of Winter, The Little Mermaid in Letterkenny and a production of Pinocchio in Armagh.
The Wolf of Winter
Peacock Theatre, Dublin
Paula Meehan's new play for children goes its own way in some arbitrary respects. Generally, its adults are neither principled nor pleasant, and magic is introduced with little explanation of its origins or rationale. But the words are often golden, and the production is colourful. There is little enough time, in 55 minutes, to become beady-eyed.
It is the harshest of winters in a small village, and the people are at the end of their tether, when the blind boy Ger, who can still see distant things, spots a wolf coming towards them. What actually arrives is a young man, who brings a wealth of supplies that he guarantees will flow endlessly if the girl Jodie will leave with him. She agrees for the sake of the villagers, who become lazy and greedy through affluence.
The two leave, and journey across mountains to the man's palace, where Jodie is happy. There is a beauty-and-
the-beast dimension to all this, and we eventually learn that he is a wolf, and that Jodie, although a human child, was brought up by wolves. As the plot closes, the two are in flight from hunters, and she appears to have become a wolf.
All this is nicely acted (with Andrew Bennett, Emma Colohan, Niamh Linehan, Aaron Monaghan and Judith Reddy), and director Andrea Ainsworth has found striking effects, such as a snowfall and a search in a lake. The ear and eye are pleasantly beguiled throughout, in a seasonal entertainment with a welcome difference. It is probably best for children under 10, who are unlikely to question the logic of events.
Runs until January 17th
Gerry Colgan
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The Little Mermaid
An Grianán, Letterkenny
An Grianáhave been on a roll these past few years, presenting a succession of impressive Christmas productions that offer far more than your standard panto fare; Simon Sharkey's adaptation of The Little Mermaid, adeptly directed by Myles Breen, continues this tradition with considerable panache. Tackling The Little Mermaid means overcoming the iconic stature Disney's animated version holds for the average ankle-biter; Breen's production deftly side-steps this conundrum by simply creating a memorable universe of its own. Thus, Sharkey's narrative is framed by a group of children giddily entertaining each other with a fishy yarn, deftly drawing us into their make-believe world whilst simultaneously accompanying their excitable audience for the ride. The youthful cast - Sarah Burke, Rachel Devir, Martin McCann, Mary Moulds and Paul Nugent - invest the material with considerable vigour, tackling multiple roles in a breathless fashion, with Moulds, in particular, making for a splendidly hissable Sea Witch. That said, Guy Barriscale's imaginative set and musical score, Niall Cranney's subtle lighting design and Suzanne Keogh's costume design all contribute greatly to the winning ambience, together fashioning a splendidly mounted piece of theatre. This is by no means a perfect production; there are certain longueurs that could easily be dispensed with, but there are more than enough moments of genuine theatrical magic here to adequately compensate. Artistically satisfying and a fine crowd-pleaser, adults and children alike should be suitably entranced.
Runs until December 23rd, then at the Pavilion Theatre, Bray
Derek O'Connor
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Pinocchio
The Market Place, Armagh
The tale of Pinocchio is a joy in itself. When the music and theatrical vision of Paul Boyd is grafted onto it, a cast of talented performers is introduced and the end product is a truly class act. Neither a pantomime nor a children's show, Boyd's Pinocchio is a sophisticated musical, whose sheeny production standards are of the highest quality. Somehow, it blends brassy glitz and kitsch - personified by the three-strong Cricket Chorus, all shimmer and sequins and big, bold numbers - with sweet, youthful innocence, encapsulated by the small boy with stars in his eyes, who gives us our first glimpse of the story that is about to unfold.
The cast - Niki Doherty as an adorable Pinocchio, Karl Wallace as the puppet maker Gepetto and Miceal McBrian, Georgia Simpson and Tommy Wallace as the Cricket Chorus and a host of other fantastical characters - work incredibly hard as a tight-knit ensemble, each getting his or her big moment in the spotlight. There are some hilarious scenes involving a donkey, a fox and a cat, a killer whale and a raunchy barmaid with a lobster claw for a hand.
Illusionist Paul Bosco McEneaney and puppet master Frank Quinn have also added their five-pence worth, with Quinn's gorgeous Blue Haired Fairy, sung by Brenda Brooks, providing some moments of pure enchantment. It is difficult to know who laughs and shouts loudest, the kids or the adults, in a show that demands to run and run outside of this seasonal run.
Runs until December 21st
Jane Coyle
