Gruffalo, The

C too    31 July-11 August, 13-25 @ 14.10    Tall Stories

What a treat.  This company of 3 are not only delightful to watch, they manage the very tough trick of keeping an audience full of tiny literary scholars (every child around me seemed to have chapter and verse knowledge of Julia Donaldson’s little classic tale) very happy indeed.  While not particularly memorable, the music had just the right blend of wit and tunefulness that keeps a young group engaged and all the songs managed to serve the tale well.

Olivia Jacobs’ inventive staging has a rambunctious charm that makes the most of the company’s quick-wittedness and all the players managed to take the full house of under-5’s improvisational outbursts in their stride.  Caroline Garland and Ross Hugill as Mouse and Gruffalo turn in great performances, but Alex Scott Fairley’s comic predators are a wonder – and his Joachim the Rattlesnake not only steals the show but has got to be one of the funniest comic performances of the festival.  Beg, steal or borrow a child and get over to C too – you won’t regret it!