October 3, 2011
Catapulting vaudevillian puppet theatre into the twenty first century, Les Enfants Terrible use physical theatre to present a series of deliciously cautionary tales - warning kids against the perils of greed, vanity and telling porkies.
Situated somewhere between a traditional nursery rhyme book and the darkest corners of Roald Dahl’s imagination, these tales are wistful and wicked in equal measure.
There are grossly titillating stories like that of Manky Mingus, who smells so foul that even the flies are repelled, so is condemned to live in a bin. But there are also poignant moments. The heartbreaking story of Thingummyboy tells of a child so shy and self-effacing that he fades away completely.
Perhaps the most memorable yarn is that of young Beatrice, who talks so much that bees – lured by the drone of the her voice – build their hive in her hair. Dame Judi Dench lends her voice to this tale, adding a richness to the narration and an air of maternal familiarity to Beatrice’s story.
Threaded throughout the sixty minute show is the narrative of Tilly – a little girl who tells big fibs. Little Tilly tells so many tall tales that she sprouts a tail of her own, and her wayward story is the glue the binds the other tales together.
This is a wonderfully visual show. The vignettes are imaginatively brought to life by delicate shadow play, beautifully grotesque puppets and oversized masks that could have been lifted from a kid’s sketch book.
The cast themselves look like they’ve raided the dressing up box. These versatile rag dolls and clowns are masters of physical theatre and, impressively, the four actors also turn their hands to instrument playing.
The weird and wonderful world of The Terrible Infants is exciting, imaginative, fiendish and sweet - storytelling at its most magical.
Situated somewhere between a traditional nursery rhyme book and the darkest corners of Roald Dahl’s imagination, these tales are wistful and wicked in equal measure.
There are grossly titillating stories like that of Manky Mingus, who smells so foul that even the flies are repelled, so is condemned to live in a bin. But there are also poignant moments. The heartbreaking story of Thingummyboy tells of a child so shy and self-effacing that he fades away completely.
Perhaps the most memorable yarn is that of young Beatrice, who talks so much that bees – lured by the drone of the her voice – build their hive in her hair. Dame Judi Dench lends her voice to this tale, adding a richness to the narration and an air of maternal familiarity to Beatrice’s story.
Threaded throughout the sixty minute show is the narrative of Tilly – a little girl who tells big fibs. Little Tilly tells so many tall tales that she sprouts a tail of her own, and her wayward story is the glue the binds the other tales together.
This is a wonderfully visual show. The vignettes are imaginatively brought to life by delicate shadow play, beautifully grotesque puppets and oversized masks that could have been lifted from a kid’s sketch book.
The cast themselves look like they’ve raided the dressing up box. These versatile rag dolls and clowns are masters of physical theatre and, impressively, the four actors also turn their hands to instrument playing.
The weird and wonderful world of The Terrible Infants is exciting, imaginative, fiendish and sweet - storytelling at its most magical.