Emily Brown and the Thing, Pleasance Courtyard, Review

Submitted by Jo Clarke on Sat, 2 Aug '14 5.00pm
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Rating (out of 5)
5
Show info
Company
Tall Stories
Production
Olivia Jacobs (director), Cressida Cowell & Neal Layton (author and illustrator of the book)
Performers
Anna Wheatley (Emily Brown), Sam Donovan (Stanley), Chris Gunter (The Thing)
Running time
55mins

A brilliant show: funny, touching, and completely satisfying to someone who had no familiarity with the books at all. Oh, and the children loved it, too!

I hardly know which element to rave about first: an excellent story celebrating a young girl’s wild imagination and plucky spirit; actors whose wonderful physicality, expressive faces, and pitch-perfect delivery bring life to our heroine, her bunny best friend, and the woeful Thing.

Emily Brown and her bunny stuffy (come to life) go on a series of quests in aid of the Thing, and we experience her exhilaration and wonder as she explores and rises to every challenge. The performances were really captivating and amusing to adult and child alike, and it was a mark of my 5-year-old’s enthrallment that he watched wide-eyed and close-mouthed, though many children also jabbered excitedly at points.

Extra elements such as puppetry flourishes and sweet-on-the-ear songs were icing on the cake of a truly excellent production.

If you see one children’s play at the Fringe, make it this one if you can (it was a packed house when we went).

Aug 1-24 at 14:05 (no show Aug 7th)
Prices vary from £10 to £7