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A quirky, laughter-packed production that beautifully celebrates sounds and friendship. With poetry, puppetry and original music, it’s great fun for the whole family. Summary
Rating
Excellent
Have you ever considered what life would be like without sound? You wouldn’t be able to enjoy the noise of birds singing, or music, or the lapping of waves on a shore. And if, like Keith in The Sound Collector, you are blind, you might find that sound is even more valuable to you, allowing you to better function in a world not designed for the visually impaired. Roger McGough’s quirky, laughter-packed production explores what happens when a stranger comes in the night to steal everyone’s sounds, but also gently asks what might make them behave this way.
You really can’t go wrong with McGough’s beautifully eccentric view of the world combined with a fun show for families. Here he’s working once again with Jam Jar Productions: their last show together, Money-Go-Round, won the Edinburgh Fringe Best Children’s Show award 2023. In this delightful new production he draws together several of his wonderful poems to build a framework for the story of two neighbours who are quite different, but who find a way to listen to each other’s needs and work in harmony.
The energy levels throughout are high, led by the sparkling, charismatic duo of Tom Blake playing Keith and Loretta Hope as Topsy. They make a really great team, demonstrating a host of talents from piano playing to puppetry, and both have excellent singing voices. But their greatest skill is in getting the audience engaged and an active part of the performance. Working with McGough’s magnificent and sometimes slightly surreal writing, they have whole families adding to the story whilst enjoying wordplay and considering the pleasure of sounds. We’re encouraged to let words roll around our mouths, filling the room with choruses of joyful joining in. Both Blake and Hope are brilliant at fielding odd suggestions from the audience, responding genially and then working up the ad-lib to provide further fun.
Director Jonny Danciger has a deceptively intricate sound operation going on too, using multiple creative formats that make us think about different ways of encountering sound. The story is sympathetically supported by some fabulous original music from Steve Halliwell of Little Machine, and alongside this there are also recorded soundtracks co-ordinated with live foley sound effects. There’s a nice touch of music hall about it at times. Some sounds are visibly written out on cards and placed with their objects, others are performed by the actors using objects and instruments on stage. And then there’s the poetry itself, which allows the audience to imagine the reality of a word by hearing it played out in the evocative language and rhythmic verse. It’s an absolute joy!
This all feeds into a gentle exercise of being mindful of our world and that of our neighbours, so creating a space to wonder why the Sound Collector does what they do. The close of the show gives a little food for thought about the pressures people are under to present themselves as better than they are, when really it’s not about what you look like, but instead about being true to your authentic self. It’s a positive, reassuring message without being preachy.
This is such a great show for a family audience and a perfect first visit to the theatre. It’s warm and welcoming, funny and fertile, as it celebrates sound and gives everyone from toddlers to adults the means to create a nicer world. All qualities we should be happy to collect!
Produced by Jam Jar Theatrical Productions
Written by Roger McGough
Directed by Jonny Danciger
Original music by Steve Halliwell
The Sound Collector played at OSO Arts Centre.
You can read more about this show in our recent interview with Roger McGough here.
