The Storytellers Theatre Company's production of Mary Elizabeth Burke-Kennedy's adaptation for the stage of three of Oscar Wilde's stories for children from his House of Pomegranates is enchanting and engaging and, under Bairbre Ni Chaoimh's deft direction in Chisato Yoshimi's imaginative set design, with nicely understated costumes designed by Kei Ito, aided by Trevor Knight's evocative music and sound designs, it does not overwhelm the imagination, but liberates it. For 85 uninterrupted minutes on its opening night it held the rapt attention of its audience with its gentle, easygoing exposition using actors and puppets, settings and symbols, of the Star Child, the Happy Prince and the Selfish Giant.
The adaptation is skilled, and faithful to Wilde's original intent. It uses the animals caught in the freezing forest at the start of the first story to link the three tales easily and unobtrusively together. The hare (Nicole Rourke), the deer (Fergal McElherron), the wolf (Arthur Riordan), the linnet (Sarah Jane Drummey), the falcon (Barry Barnes), the vixen (Noelle Brown) and the bear (Gerard Walsh) agree early on that telling tales is more warming than going on about the bad weather and, as each takes on the different tasks required to enact the various characters in the three stories, the audience can readily go along with the exercise.
The actors' skills are carefully restrained: each character is easily but unobtrusively identified and none overlaps another, while there is a warmth and emotion in all. The interaction between actors and puppets is effective no matter the diversity of puppet styles used (glove, mask and shadow), the whole coming theatrically together to provide a seamless evening of some of Wilde's more pleasantly sentimental stories, definitely not to be missed.
Runs until January 20th with numerous matinees and evening shows on different days. Check with the box office at 1850 260027.