Review: Gulliver’s Travels, EdFringe

Venue 33: Pleasance Courtyard, Above

Box Tale Soup’s Gulliver’s Travels is a smart, 60 minute production that sets out its intention instantly: we’re launched without hesitation into the familiar voyage and within moments it’s clear that this is a tight, well-adapted production of the classic Jonathan Swift’s 1726 novel. It deftly cuts the massive tome right down, précising skilfully but covering all the main sections to give the best storytelling experience to Swift’s elaborate, episodic plot. The stage is already set with everything needed for the journey, so elements are innovatively deconstructed and recombined; boxes, poles and sheets (often traced with text, referencing the original book) make boats or new lands. All this with a sense of sustainability and recycling that matches the cyclical telling and retelling of this timeless tale itself across the ages.

Noel Byrne takes on the role of Gulliver with bold confidence and a flinty look in his eye as he leads us from land to land. Antonia Christophers and Adam Boyle complete the cast of three, and there are polished performances all round. Together they deliver slick, synchronised teamwork across multiple characterisations and puppetry challenges, using the stage space effectively and imaginatively, whilst sending out some powerful, evocative sea shanties and some delightfully humorous moments.

The pleasing design work extends further, with a series of puppets that are wonderfully varied, scaled to fit the many curious lands that our hero visits. From a mini Gulliver that rocks some really funky dance moves, some impressive skeletal Yahoos made out of rope, to the elegant Houyhnhnms – they all link beautifully into the overall aesthetic, whilst remaining as distinctive as their lands themselves.

Swift’s acid, political tone is perhaps mellowed a little for this family-forward retelling, but in its place the production brings a timeliness that sits with very current relevance where sections of our nation are battling amongst themselves over which tribes are right or wrong. Perhaps it’s important right now to prioritise these ideas of embracing other lands and different cultures in an effort to understand: to speak each other’s languages. Ultimately, Gulliver changes his perspective by having contact with them and making friends wherever he goes, and finds no place is perfect. Still a lesson for us all centuries after that first publication.

Adaptation by: Noel Byrne, Antonia Christophers and Mark Collier
Directed by: Adam Lenson
Music by: Dan Melrose
Shanties by: Noel Byrne & Antonia Christophers

Gulliver’s Travels runs at Pleasance Courtyard Above, as part of the Edinburgh Fringe until 25 August. Further details and how to book can be found here.