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A great hour of story making, performance and audience interaction that will have the kids enthralled.Summary
Rating
Good
In a change from the normal puppet-focussed productions at Little Angel Theatre, The Mystery of the Little Angel is an interactive mystery, with a Cluedo-style format that invites the audience aged 6+ to become trainee detectives and solve a murder!
Our sparkling host, Danyah Miller, is a brilliant storyteller. As Constable Newbie she quickly draws the children into the premise of the show, explaining how to play, the board and its pieces. The format is very familiar, signalled by a tower of famous board games at the side of the set and a giant game board where the mystery will play out. To the rear of the stage is a huge notice board, complete with hidden screens, where all our evidence is to be compiled.
We’re here to solve the murder of Chloe Branding, a performer at Little Angel who died when a piano was dropped on her head, and there are five suspects to learn about. It’s a fairly lengthy exposition, but we’re helped to follow along by use of colour coding. From early on the children are invited to come and participate with simple tasks such as holding a torch or extracting documents from the board and many of them eagerly rush to the front in the hope of being picked to help. These small initial interactions seamlessly build confidence, meaning it’s less intimidating when the audience are then asked to express opinions on the clues and findings. It’s a really good balance of participation too, at times individual or sometimes as a part of a crowd, so there’s opportunity for the more self-conscious to be involved, with no-one left out.
Miller is wonderfully energetic – really tuned in to the audience, getting the best out of them. And they are visibly engaged in the process throughout, with hands flying up eagerly to contribute. She transforms into multiple characters by use of voices and costume, although the latter could perhaps be a little more distinct to help visually identify the suspects. The role play again offers the audience chances to engage (particularly one unsuspecting adult on the front row!), choosing names and helping to imagine what the characters are like.
There’s good use of film clips to bring the characters to life and give further information about their background or involvement. Chloe’s TikTok video of a ‘truth teller’ not wanting to spread gossip aces the detail, with excellent use of Gen Z phrasing; but at times some of the recordings feel a little stilted. The quiet inclusion of a male couple getting secretly married beautifully normalises the act and gives unexpected depth to the story.
There’s a lot to pack in, but the show is carefully structured, with voiceovers and music giving momentum to the investigation and adding tension. Miller guides it along expertly, so even with the jeopardy of audience decisions we end up on the right path towards the solution and a vote on who we think the murderer might be. Nevertheless, it’s still a little surprising come the end! If you’ve been waiting for puppets throughout this Little Angel show, this is the moment, as the board is inventively transformed into a model theatre that uses close-up film work to re-enact Chloe’s last moments and reveal the murderer. It’s theatrically lit, atmospheric and gripping, but still not too scary for little ones.
This is a highly entertaining production that gives new life to storytelling, but it also creates a lovely opportunity for families to work together and perhaps to take the idea home with them, inventing their own mysteries to solve.
Directed by: Dani Parr
Designed by: Kate Bunce
Lighting & Video Design by: Gillian Tan
Music & Sound Designed by: Arun Ghosh
A DMS and Little Angel Theatre co-production
The Mystery of the Little Angel Theatre is aimed at ages 6+ and runs at the Little Angel Theatre Studios until Sunday 17 November. Further information and bookings can be found here.
