‘The Thunderbird’

Press, 15 May 1985, Page 8

‘The Thunderbird’

"The Thunderbird,” by Paul Harrington and Philip Mann, for . the Court Theatre. May 14 to May 24. Running time: 11 a.m. to 11.50 a.m. Directed by Judd Millner. Reviewed by Michael O’Brien. Fun, fantasy, and audience response — these are the ingredients of exciting children’s productions, and “The Thunderbird” has them all. “Treasure” and “monsters” are the key words in this adventure. Able-bodied Oats (Ruth Bijl) and Sea Sick Simon (Chris Boje) are the bumbling treasure seekers. They scour the sea floor from their red tub on wheels, complete with telephone communication. But they find more than they bargain for. After a grapple with a lobster they encounter Jacque the (very French) shark in one of the funniest sequences of the

Jacque is well prepared for his prey with red napkin and knife and fork. Simon’s tussle to survive the attack brought squeals of delight from the audience. A “harmless” egg they - find reveals the next and greatest threat. After inadvertently reciting the magic words they release the Thunderbird in a burst of thunder, lighting and colourful feathers. Some of the younger members of the audience were happier with the man-eating shark and there was the occasional cry of “Oh, Mummy.” However, their attention was caught by the barrelchested policeman (Tim Bassett) is search of “criminals.” His chase of the treasure seekers up and down the aisles captivated the children and cries of “Over there!” and “They went that way!” were aimed to throw the law off their

trail. In the finale the Thunderbird had to be located and returned to the egg. Ablebodied Oats was bombarded with good advice on how to equip the boat for this expedition. Unfortunately Sea Sick Simon bungled the purchase of provisions and they had to sail with only a sack of cabbages. With the help of the policeman, some clever mime, much bungling and lots of laughs, they succeed. The actors made good use of the “King Lear” set and the sound and lighting (Judd Millner) were effective. This simple, fun-packed production is a holiday must for children age four to 10. Its running time is ideal and the children will respond with pleasure and excitement. Parents will receive instruction on how to get their children to love cabbage. ,q-