| Giant tale captures the little people |
Theatr na n'Og |
| Theatr na n'Og- Me, A Giant! , Sherman Theatre, Cardiff , July 22, 2005 |
It is not often that a three year old can sit quietly throughout a whole theatre performance. But I recently had the pleasure of taking my young daughter to see Me, A Giant! – a variation of Jack and The Beanstalk – performed by an energetic cast from Theatr na n’Óg in Neath. And she was truly captivated.She sat attentively throughout the whole 60-minute performance, which was pretty good considering the play was actually aimed at five to seven-year-olds. It was a tribute to the fun, variety and creativity of the whole piece. We were rounded up into the Studio Theatre at the Sherman by bully brother Rhys pursuing younger brother Jack and in turn being chased by their exasperated mother, who asked, “Have you seen two naughty little boys?” There was much giggling all round. The promise of the delights within did not disappoint. A three-hander, Jack, played by Dion Davies, was a wonderfully Tweedledum character in his big shorts but with an engagingly sunny character. Naomi Martell played the giant, in this case a seven-year-old girl, who finds her way down the beanstalk. She seemed to be all stockings and pinafore and brought across a more tolerant view towards the troll in Three Billy Goats Gruff and the witch in Hansel and Gretel, two stories which are interwoven with the main theme. Naomi also played the mother and Big Fat White Cow. My personal favourite was the witch played by Lee Mengo complete with German accent. He has tremendous potential for playing a Teutonic drag queen! Lee also doubled up as the Man with Seeds, the troll and brother Rhys. A gentle message of tolerance, how to grow a bean seed and possibly friendship – sunshine, water and lots of love – not to mention standing one’s ground with an older sibling, was put across with music, dance, action and some ingenious props. Afterwards the cast rather endearingly stepped out of their characters and mingled with the children in the audience to ask them what they had remembered. A fine effort on a hot July afternoon, and my daughter enjoyed her first theatre visit so much that she is already asking to go again. |
Reviewed by: Western Mail, Kay Shipton |
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