Three Little Pigs, Paradise in Augustine's, Review

Submitted by Jo Clarke on Wed, 6 Aug '14 11.12pm
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Edinburgh Festival review
Rating (out of 5)
2
Show info
Company
Red Flame Theatre
Production
Jo Bain (director), Nick Bain (writer)
Performers
Pauline Smith, Fern Elliott-Davies, Christina Bain, Ben Scott, Louise Urry Gillies, Julia Goodall, Sarah Bruce, Emma Wylie, ensemble members
Running time
50mins

If you’re a die-hard Three Little Pigs fan, you may not recognize the traditional tale in this production, though it builds on the theme of pigs, fairytale and otherwise.

With some fun song-and-dance numbers by its young as well as seasoned performers, the show is an amusing displacement of traditional characters into a modern setting. The premise of a reincarnated big bad wolf sets the other characters scrambling for safey, but the tone of the show is comedic, with appearances by the three bears and others.

Many of the jokes were aimed more at the parents in the audience, and younger children might have trouble following the story (and sometimes understanding what’s being said). Older kids, particularly those interested in the performance arts themselves, will enjoy being up close in this smaller venue.

The show feels like the graduating performance of an amateur theatre school, not surprising as the not-for-profit Red Flame Theatre develops “budding musical theatre artists of all ages”. It was a little uneven at points, but kudos to all the performers for some very good musical numbers (especially the rousing finale) and we’ll look to see you in future Fringe productions!

Aug 4-16 (not 10 or 11), 11:40
£6.50/4.50