'Story Book' has general appeal

Press, 14 May 1979, Page 6

'Story Book' has general appeal

By HOWARD McNAUGH- ' TON l t “Story Book Theatre.” Shirley Community 1 Centre, Shirley Road. May 1 12 to 19. Running time: 1 One hour 15 minutes. Informality and intimacy < are the key-notes of the cur- ’ rent schoolholiday “Story Book” programme. At Satur- 1 day’s matinee, a packed ’ audience of youngsters saw ; a programme of seven main i items, with something to J satisfy everyone. The whole company of 10 : started the programme with 1 a performance of “Ten Little 1 Nigger Boys,” which ob- i viously appealed to every- i one. Then came a more ambitious presentation of a Norwegian folk tale, very well acted, but probably not 1 very accessible to the juvenile mind in terms of content. A dancing flies routine amused everyone, and a performance of “The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party,” staged with a good deal of appropriate clutter, went down well. A disco number, a popular

“Three Little Pigs” playlet, and a folk dance, completed the show. Compared with the Riccarton Players, who are now also doing a school holiday programme in the Wharenui School Hall, the Story Book Theatre uses relatively elaborate props and costumes — full animal heads for the Wolf and the Dormouse, “houses,” for the three little pigs, and a suggestion of traditional costumes for the Norwegian piece. Without question, these have their special interest, especially when costumes are put on in view of the audience and explained to them. Folding screens, representing woodlands and a rock wall, add to the realism, and a huge wicker box is put to numerous uses. This is obviously a very popular format, using adult actors for simple pieces of children’s drama, planned to cope with even the shortest of attention spans. It so clearly serves a local need that it deserves to be emulated in other suburbs.