| Journey by devised by the company |
| First presented in 1992 by Theatr Iolo |
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cast size:3
synopsis: Inspired by the paintings and sculptures of Picasso, Journey tells the story of an old woman returning to the place where she was born. Along the way she meets an old sea captain and his friend - a talking bird. Neither wants anything to do with the other, but soon they come to realise that they must share and co-operate if they want to continue on with their Journey Journey explores themes which are very real to younger children - friendship, sharing, mutual dependency and creativity. |
There is 1 review of Theatr Iolo's Journey in our database:
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Journey
by devised by the company
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[print] |
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venue Llanover Hall Arts Centre |
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June 1, 2002 |
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| A piece of theatre based on the paintings of Picasso and to the music of Debussy, Satie and other French composers of the time may seem pretty highbrow entertainment. But this is kid's stuff. And younger kids, at that. Theatr Iolo's new show, Journey, is aimed at primary and infants schoolchildren, for whom (we must assume) the visual and aural references do not have the cultural significance they do for the more sophisticated among us. The adult audience at Llanover Hall for a public performance of this young people's show presumably saw a different play than the children. In fact it's the story - short, simple, moving - that we share. A cantankerous sea captain living on a beach with only a talking bird for company has his peace invaded by an equally quirky elderly artist, and on her return journey to the place she was born the couple learn to share and to respect each other. Though, to be honest, it isn't so much the story as the telling of it. As you'd expect from a play that draws on the work of innovatory expressive artists, Kevin Lewis's production is stylised, highly visual, physical and very inventive. The characters inhabit a world of heightened representation, unreal but also recognisable, that exist in the imagination. Like painting and music, theatre is about reaching the parts other aspects of life cannot. Does it matter if we recognise or not Picasso's circus performer or Debussy's Le Mer ? Of course not. It's great that kids are given a way in to the world of art and classical music (teachers will, I'm sure, talk about the inspiration of the images and sounds) but Journey isn't about high culture but about, very simply, the need to understand each other - and the power of the imagination. |
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| reviewer: David Adams |
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| If you know of any other existing review, or if you have any more information on Journey, (perhaps you were in the production or were the author or director) then please use the form below to send us the details |