Reviews

THE HERALD : Children's Theatre

The Hare and the Tortoise

Albert Halls. Stirling

by Mary Brennan

"Wee Stories have been adding exciting new chapters to its own chronicle of success as one of Scotland's best and best-loved purveyors of children's theatre. Labyrinth - which brought them a Herald Angel at the 1999 Fringe - is going to London's Barbican as part of the education programme attached to the high-profile production of Tantalus. (A sussed and trusted colleague who has seen both reckoned once was enough for Tantalus - but he'd watch Labyrinth again, any time.) Ireland - not short of its own accomplished story-tellers - has the company touring various venues later this spring, while Andy Cannon (the artistic director) is already drafting out the Wee Stories version of Treasure Island in time for summer.

Meanwhile, a special initiative called the Early Years Project - directed by Virginia Radcliffe - has come into play, aimed at three to six-year-olds but highly suitable for adults who appreciate wit, resourcefulness, nimble imagination, and a heartwarming attention to the kind of teensy wee details that add magic and surprises to the narrative. The Tale of the Hare and the Tortoise takes Aesop's fable as a starting point, but then adds in nuances of cartoon capers, nursery rhymes, slapstick silliness, and opportunities for vociferous audience participation.

We can even let the rivalry between the maddeningly, endearingly smartass Hare (Virginia Radcliffe) and the utterly huggable, shambling, slowpoke Tortoise (Deborah Arnott) go to our heads - the programme is a paper hat with a contestant back and front. Choosing between such an engaging pair is just so hard: so the underlying moral of the fable twists to a happy ending - they finish together as friends (who can still fall out over nothing, mind you), with Wee Stories' audiences the clear winners all the way."
- April 16 2001

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