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This little Robin totally rocks in a beautifully crafted, heartwarming adventure filled with determination, friendship and care for others at Christmas.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Could there be a more delightful place this winter than the Little Angel Theatre Studios? The Post Office is packed with parcels ready to be sent, the music is swinging, and we’re all snuggled up in our colourful Christmas jumpers, ready to hear the story of Rosie Robin and the Christmas Post. It’s a cosy capsule of Christmas cheer, where everyone soon has a smile on their face and warmth in their hearts.
Even before the show gets going our wonderful narrator (Lizzie Wort) has the audience of 2-5 year olds totally charmed with her hilariously silly clowning, parcels plopping on the floor, post being playfully prepared. Oh, the skill and concentration required to do this while families find their seats in the dark! What a professional.
It’s a straightforward tale, so very manageable for tinies, but brilliantly executed. As a surprise snowstorm hits Clover Leaf Wood, Rosie the post-robin and her friends realise Mrs Higgle the hedgehog is going to be stuck alone at Christmas, so Rosie volunteers to take her a parcel of thoughtful supplies and gifts. However, to get there tiny Rosie must battle the elements, getting help from an assortment of other woodland creatures along the way.
Wort is a truly delightful performer and storyteller who engages her audience sensitively, gently responsive to their reactions. Performing solo, she flawlessly navigates a deceptively complex staging, puppeteers, sings and has the audience in the palm of her hand throughout; the children are captivated as they anticipate what’s to come next.
The design for the show is gorgeous, with all the elements gelling perfectly to create an atmospheric, transformational space. Laura McEwen‘s detailed set design appears splendidly handcrafted, and meticulously fashioned Post Office parcels convert in seconds to magically reveal woodland homes and hidden characters, or are repurposed with the addition of wraps to bring the snowy woods to life. Twinkly lights, tubular trees and pop up woodland silhouettes help reimagine the space enchantingly as Rosie embarks on her journey, while miniature dioramas draw us in, allowing us to meet new friends in a variety of locations. The storytelling is superbly assisted by Dominic Sales’ fabulous music, along with Aaron Dootson’s creative and evocative lighting, which gives dramatic focus where necessary or gently reassuring comfort as required. It’s quite, quite beautiful.
Puppet Designers Keith Frederick and Oliver Hymans have gone above and beyond in crafting a range of exquisite creatures in a variety of sizes to help tell the story from multiple perspectives, and there’s a cheeky sense of Sylvanian Families to their detailed, charming aesthetic. From our lovely little winged hero to the bouncy red squirrel (who has the children giggling away in seconds), a hare in a three piece suit and a flinty-eyed wolf that is more stern than scary, the essence of the woodland characters are joyfully captured in both visuals and movement.Rosie Robin and the Christmas Post is a cheerily playful, exquisitely designed and skilfully performed show with a lovely message of friendship, determination and caring for others at Christmas. It’s most definitely a perfect choice for a first visit to the theatre for little ones with their families, so put tickets on your list for Santa this year!
Written and created by Miranda Pitcher & Lizzie Wort
Set & costumes designed by Laura McEwen
Lighting design by Aaron Dootson
Puppets co-designed by Keith Fredrick and Oliver Hymans
Music composed by Dominic Sales
Rosie Robin and the Christmas Post is aimed at age 2-5 and runs at Little Angel Theatre Studios until Sunday 5 January. Further information and booking details can be found here.
