Last night we had the pleasure of
introducing our 21 month old Connie, to her first piece of theatre – a modern
adaptation of Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland by Blackshaw Theatre Company.
Now we have to admit, that the
idea of taking two small children to a place where they are required to sit and
concentrate for longer than five minutes, fills us with what can only be
described as dread. Pair that with the fact that the show was to take place in
a library (where one is forced to remain silent) and you can imagine our
feelings (mainly Stephen’s feelings) of apprehension and panic!
We headed to the theatre with
full little tummies, a bag of emergency bribery treats and, upon arrival scoped
out all of the nearest exits so that we could make a quick getaway should one
of them start causing a ruckus.
Within five minutes of the show
starting we realised that we had nothing to worry about. From start to finish
this piece of theatre was interactive, engaging, interesting and an absolutely perfect
introduction into the world of theatre.
The show’s venue - Battersea
Library, lends itself perfectly to the world of the Mad Hatter. Having never
visited before, we were unaware of the intricate beauty of the building. As we
were taken on our journey through the rabbit hole and led from room to room, it
really did feel as though we had found our way into wonderland. An already
magical space was transformed into an imaginative land of wonder by the set
designers which created a sense of excitement and curiosity throughout the
whole performance. The fact that the setting was a library was just too
perfect, as it seemed to place the very roots of the tale at the heart of the
play.
We were all engrossed from
beginning to end and found ourselves laughing more than we have laughed
together in a long time! The quick and witty humour is written and directed in
a way that is accessible by the whole family. It was impossible to believe that
this was the company’s first piece of family theatre as it was pitched
perfectly and had us in fits of belly giggles from beginning to end.
As a group, the actors bounce off
of each with a memorising energy and timing that completely engaged us all throughout
the entire performance. Each of the actors
seemed have their own unique way of connecting with the audience and the girls
were captivated. Most of the actors played multiple characters and changed seamlessly
between them. We were all doubly impressed by the actor’s puppetry skills –
which had Bella in stitches!
We all adored the costumes, which
were fantastically creative and fun. Such a lot of thought had obviously been
given to the way in which each character should look, they were funny,
imaginative and eye catching. Both Steve and myself were pretty darn amazed at
what can only be described as the quickest of quick changes – particularly that
of a specific hearty queen!
We truly loved being able to feel
like small children alongside our own small children, as we took the journey
down the rabbit hole. This was everything we could have hoped Connie’s first
play would be like and more. What a crackin’ bit of theatre!
Thanks Blackshaw, for a magical
night out.
Danielle, Steve, Bella and
Connie.
Take a look at the company’s
website and plan your next night out…
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