Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Underbelly Circus Hub – until 28 August. Reviewed by Linda McLaughlan
5*****
The show was set in the smaller of the Circus Big Tops located in Meadow Park Edinburgh. The atmosphere was one of excitement from the audience which consisted of families with children from months old to primary school age. The circular layout allowed for the children to sit in front of the stage as well as in the chairs around venue.
The show began with the Children’s Classic Concerts Festival Ensemble who performed the well known music from Beatrix Potters Tales of Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle Duck written by Stephen McNeff enjoyed by audiences globally.
The show commenced with Michelle Todd , a well respected and established Soprano singer and actor who came on stage dressed in the recognisable clothes of Beatrix Potter, with Jemima Puddle Duck in her arms and commenced to tell the story of her adventures. The facial expressions and voice of Michelle brought the story to life for all the children in the audience as they listened entranced with the adventures of Jemima as she tried to find a safe place to lay her eggs.
The professional performance was first class from Michelle as she fluently changed her voice and expression for the different characters in the tale. The ensemble played in time with her verses and raised the atmosphere with the music. As the first tale came to a close some of the children began to show signs of restlessness which may be due to the time frame of the performance. During the interval the children and families where introduced to the ensemble and we got to learn who each person was and their instruments being played. An ideal opportunity for the educational element in regards to the variety of instruments being used. The MC took the opportunity to remind the children about the competition taking place and reminded parents to leave the Activity Sheet at the end of the show in the box provided at the door.
Act 2 began with Michelle returning to the stage this time with Peter Rabbit as a large plush toy. Michelle began to tell the children about Old Mrs Rabbit and her 4 children Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter. The children settled again to listen to the story as Michelle expertly told the story of Peters adventures as he went to find berries, herbs and veg from a nearby garden. Michelle was able to bring the tale to life again with her singing, verses and expert use of expressions and body language. Her ability to keep the interest of the children was superb and it was evident by the smiles of many of the parents her ability to bring back many childhood memories of the tales of Beatrix Potter.
This is a show that every child and parent should take time to go and see during the Edinburgh Festival and allow children to experience the Tales of Beatrix Potter brought to life by Michelle an excellent hour well spent.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An excellent show