THIS wordless and otherworldly tale took the audience along with the boy on a seafaring adventure.
This premiere, was a Brighton Festival commission created by Lewes-based Slot Machine Theatre. Central to the performance was the classical piano music, played on the grand piano by young pianist Edward Liddall.
He gracefully performed music by Ravel, Debussy and Prokofiev as the tempo and emotion of the drama rose and fell with the ebb and flow of the tide. There was a full house for this hour-long production.
Children sat on cushions at the front and remained focused despite the abstract and mature nature of the show.
The intricate and life-like boy puppet clad in wellies and jacket produced some giggles as he danced and balanced precariously on a deckchair but otherwise it was quite a solemn show for children aimed at sixplus.
The four performers Xavier Pathy-Barker, James Aiden Kay, Nick Tigg and Carol Walton, silently but intricately danced and performed with deckchairs, ribbons, sheets and glittery sleeves.
They also operated ornate puppets including sea creatures that the boy befriended and danced with in the deep on a physical and emotional journey.
A show of light projections and shadows complemented and added to the ethereal enchantment. Sliding deckchairs dramatically transformed in to hundreds of flying birds.
After the show the audience got to meet the cast and pianist for a further piano demo and chance to meet the puppets. It was an up-close introduction to the power of the piano in a performance.
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