Review: "The Singing Mermaid" by Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks at Sheffield's Cruc
- Dec 13, 2018
- 4 min read
Roll up, roll up! "The Singing Mermaid" by Little Angel Theatre swims into
town just as BBC One and Magic Light Productions announce that they'll be adapting Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s "Snail and the Whale" for Christmas 2019. As much as we love the Donaldson/Scheffler duo (and believe me when I say we LOVE them) "The Singing Mermaid" is a breath of fresh air in that we see Donaldson's work with someone OTHER than Scheffler being brought to life - a rare occurrence given that the merchandise, theatre shows, outdoor walking trails, television shows etc. dedicated to her work focus primarily on her collaborations with Scheffler.
“The Singing Mermaid” was illustrated by Sheffield-based Lydia Monks who has also worked with Donaldson on, amongst others, the "What the Ladybird Heard" books. Monks' technicolour depictions, often finished with a dusting of glitter, are particularly popular with my own little illustrator-in-waiting, Ketchup who uses them as inspiration for her own drawing. Ketchup was thrilled that a show based on Monks' work was finally coming to town and was counting down the days to our theatre trip in eager anticipation. And despite my concerns about how engaging a show using puppets would be – neither Ketchup, nor Mustard were disappointed and it ended up being the most enchanting hour of theatre we have seen all year!
The Studio Theatre at the Crucible proved to be a wonderful setting for the show, its modest size creating a feeling of intimacy between audience and performers and truly making one feel a part of the action. The children were offered the chance to sit on the floor around the stage, something which Ketchup really enjoyed, especially when, at the end, the puppets were brought out for them to see up close. "THE SINGING MERMAID CAME SOO CLOSE TO ME MAMA," she shrieked in excitement after the show!
The audience participation, however, began even before the show commenced, with the actors performing circus tricks as we took our seats. I couldn't really concentrate on this part though as I had somehow bagged a seat next to Lydia Monks herself who had popped by to watch the performance! To put how I reacted to this into context, I feel I should let you in on my dark secret: I have an intense obsession with writers and illustrators! After years of self-analysing, I have reached the conclusion that my fascination with literary people must be a side effect of the following:
a) spending far too much time in worlds constructed by writers and illustrators
b) trying my hand at writing many moons ago and realising just how difficult a task it is and how tremendously talented these people who conjure up story after story must be
c) trying my hand at drawing and realising that drawing stick men is about as far as I will go with this particular skill
So while I could make out some juggling going on from the corner of my eye, I sat there pretending to act cool, calm and collected, chatting away to Lydia Monks and trying to mask any signs of being starstruck! Back to the show and the stage design had a bold circus theme, sort of a stage on a stage if you like, with colourful bunting, circus props and a board inviting you to Sam Sly's Circus. This was an important aspect in my opinion as the book is so vibrant and this needed to be somehow reflected in the show to capture the attention of younger viewers, but also to recreate some of the brightly-coloured scenery that Lydia Monks depicted.
So with the stage set, the show began and before long, the mermaid arrived who, through a combination of skilled puppeteering and beautiful singing, was brought to life. As the story developed, and the mermaid was lured by Sam Sly to perform for him, we met other characters from the circus in the form of more charming puppets, our favourite being the clown, whose antics made Mustard laugh in a way I rarely see him to do so!
The puppetry in the show is simply magical, creating some wonderful moments of theatre; amongst my favourites were the scene in the beginning when the mermaid is surrounded by shoals of vibrant coloured fish swimming around her and later, the scene showing Annie the Acrobat walking on a tightrope.
This review would be incomplete without a mention of the menacing villain Sam Sly; his booming voice may have caused Mustard to jump in his seat a few times but his featherbrained antics had Mustard, Ketchup, and indeed the rest of the audience, in stitches.
"The Singing Mermaid" is a simply delightful piece of theatre, with beautifully crafted puppets and catchy songs bringing Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks' tale to life. The only thing that could top it, according to Ketchup, is for the BBC to cover the book for a Christmas day TV special!
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