Alphabetical Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne – until 12 March 2022
Reviewed by Sandra Little
3***
Dragon is described as, “An epic tale of a child coming to grips with authority, responsibility and the nature of their world.” The performance, which is recommended for adults and children aged 5+, lasts for just over an hour and uses a blend of puppetry, digital animation and music to tell the story of a young child growing up with his parents in an idyllic valley. The narrative to this performance is non verbal and is therefore accessible to anyone without fluency in English. Thought bubbles containing symbols are used from time to time to provide clarity and convey important information.
This tale is set in an idyllic valley where the audience is introduced to three characters (puppets) who are a mother, a father and a small child. The story begins with the father teaching his child to hunt using a crossbow, but as the narrative unfolds the child make a crucial mistake whilst hunting and this mistake has significant consequences for the family. It later emerges that the father takes the blame to spare the child.
I felt that that much of this performance is open to interpretation which gives a very thought provoking feel to the narrative and an opportunity for discussion. The dragon, for example, seemed to be part of a dream sequence in one part of the story and in another part it appeared to me to be a character in the underworld. At this point in the narrative a gentle side to the dragon becomes apparent and I wondered if the dragon had become the child’s father.
I feel sure that this production would appeal to the imagination of the children in the audience and a discussion with them of their interpretations would be fascinating.
Whilst computer graphics are used in this presentation, I felt it had the charm and simplicity of an early television animation. The original music was used to great effect and clearly portrayed the emotions of the characters and contributed to the mood of the story. It is also testament to the skill of the puppeteers that such small puppets were able to convey emotions so clearly primarily by their body language.
Alphabetti Theatre describe this production as “An unforgettable experience that asks the question, “What would you do if you were in their shoes?” I would agree with this comment but would also suggest that Dragon raises a host of other questions alongside this one.