Alphabetti Theatre Newcastle – until 2nd September 2023
Reviewed by Sandra Little
4****
This family performance has an age recommendation of 7 to 11 years. It was written by Danielle Slade and directed by Stan Hodgson.
Raven is described by Alphabetti Theatre as, “a play about navigating mental health in adolescence and embracing wild hearts.” The story is told using music, puppetry, a talking gargoyle and a cast of four actors! If the opening description sounds a little bleak and intense be reassured that this play is far from bleak or intense!
The action begins in the wild woods where Raven Varmint (Maya Torres) has lived for most of her life. Raven bursts onto the stage at the beginning of the play in an almighty rage and the audience are told that she was born with a “wild heart.” Raven describes how she does things big and is full of big feelings that come from her heart. Raven experiences emotional outbursts of anger, sadness and frustration. We learn that, from the moment she was born, Raven’s family were forced to live as Shadows, never to be seen or heard. Raven eventually finds out why this is so and with the help of a talking gargoyle Artimould (played by Calum Howard) Raven embarks on a quest. The quest takes Raven to a place where life is very different from her life as a Shadow and the setting at this point changes significantly. Here Raven meets Sleek (Carl Wylie) and his grandmother (Ruth Mary Johnson).
Much of the play takes place in the wild woods where the setting is quite gloomy, however the transformation of this quite simple set partway through the play provides a stark contrast from the gloom of the woodland.
At the very beginning of this play I really wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy the performance, however within a few minutes I was hooked! As the story unfolds, the play works on several levels, appealing to different sections of the audience. Themes of exclusion, conformity, and perfection are explored which provide material for discussion for both children and adults. I was particularly pleased to see a positive slant put on children’s mental health issues. I loved Ruth Mary Johnson’s portrayal of the Mayor of Honeyville and Callum Howard’s contribution as Artimould. A talking gargoyle provides some balance to the performance and gives a point of interest and humour for younger children. Maya Torres also gives a very high energy performance as Raven .
Alphabetti Theatre are offering a “pay what you feel” policy for some performances of Raven.