Written by Julia Donaldson, this children’s tale was off to a good start with narrator (and mouse) engaging the young audience members before the play kicked off. Catriona Mackenzie played the role outstandingly well, showing excellent facial expressions and displaying a superb vocal talent.
The Gruffalo’s Child is a story of a young adventurous gruffalo who doesn’t listen to her father’s warning about venturing into the deep dark wood. Choosing to not to heed his warning, we accompany the little scamp on its journey to discover if the big bad mouse truly exists. Along the way, the mini gruffalo meets many animals, including a snake, an owl and a fox, but the big bad mouse is nowhere to be found – or is it?
Oliver Swinton was impressive as he played multiple roles, including the gruffalo, he demonstrated good audience interaction and was somewhat of a chameleon as he switched between the different characters. Sophie Alice was endearing as the gruffalo’s child, and her vocal harmonies with Catriona Mackenzie were beautiful.
The set complemented the story with it’s simplicity and the costumes were eye catching and went a long way towards creating the well known characters.
The audience were captivated by this hour long rendition and I’d be keen to take my child to more Julia Donaldson’s work on stage.
Tour dates can found here: http://tallstories.org.uk/shows/the-gruffalos-child
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