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theSpace @ Niddry Street
The perfect musical for the very teeniest audience members, full of joyful colour, feathery fun and friendship.Summary
Rating
Excellent
This summer TaleGate Theatre have brought their marvellous musical adaptation of Laura Wall’s popular picture books to the Edinburgh Fringe in their show Goose. It’s a totally perfect puppet production for under-fives and their families.
Everything about this production is comfortable and relaxed. The Space at Niddry Street has plenty of space for buggies on arrival at the ground floor venue and smiling staff to see you in. Then it’s on to the show itself, which is an absolute delight!
Sophie (Hayley Everitt), wishes she has some friends to play with, and she’s feeling a bit sad. But on a trip to the park she meets Goose (Tommy Murray). They make friends and enjoy playing together. It’s a colourful, musical tale of friendship and fun that actively invites the audience into Sophie and Goose’s world.
From the moment Goose pokes his beak round the curtain you just know this is a carefully considered show. He peeks out two or three times, giving the little ones a chance to know he’s there and not frighten them, before waddling out, full of character. He and Sophie patiently visit with every single audience member, offering the chance to stroke his lovely, fluffy featheriness and get familiar, and the audience just love them!
The design work is equally as fab. The Goose puppet is made with a great choice of materials making him appear cuddly, cartoony and tactile. You just want to reach out and squeeze him. He has a great big yellow beak and large, shiny webbed feet, but is not too big to be intimidating. Murray and Everitt do a seamless job passing him between them to operate him in different ways. Then Sophie’s costume is in primary red and yellow, and it all hints beautifully at the aesthetic of the book.
There’s a great use of multiple locations within the small space. Gentle narration by ornithologist Bill Oddie (how appropriate!) accompanies some delightful projection work, allowing us to journey with Sophie and Goose as they play, before they don their wellies and the audience is invited to come and jump in muddy puddles on the stage. It’s loads of fun!
Throughout, Liz Carney-Marsh’s gorgeous music is fun, strong and simple, really easy for the kids to join in with, which they do with gusto. And I challenge you to go home not singing “Duck, duck, goose” all the way…
TaleGate’s show is pitch-perfect for this young audience, many of whom were delighted to get their photo taken with the stars at the exit, or buy a little goose toy to read the book with when they go home. The end of a fabulous day trip!
Produced by TaleGate Theatre
Music and lyrics by Liz Carney-Marsh
Goose has completed its run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
