Goat And Monkey are a young company with a growing reputation. Site-sympathetic productions of The Ghost Sonata at Trinity Buoy Wharf and Reverence, a retelling of the Abelard and Heloise story, won them many admirers. They may have a harder job creating atmosphere on this rural tour of schools and village halls, but the subject matter should suit them well. Inspired by one of the Grimm brothers' grimmer tales, it is a story of evil stepmothers, loving sisters, murder and cannibalism. Billed as "a menacing fairytale for intrepid adults and brave children from age seven upwards", the show is winner of the 2007 Southern Comfort Commission, and should be a theatrical winner.
Sat
9th
Feb 2008
Lyn Gardner
The
Stage: The Juniper Tree
You know
you’re in for a treat with this one as soon as you
see the rectangular set with side seating centred round a
magic, symbolic Juniper tree. It is quite something for a
community touring company in a village hall, and to be
seated by assertive tree-fellers with tape measures so that
the audience becomes a forest is engaging too. Local
children and their families are already beginning to enjoy
themselves.
Based on a quite dark Grimm fairy tale, Gillian
Clarke’s play tells the story of a wicked stepmother,
chillingly played by Ian Summers. This is no pantomime
dame. She is a real and evil threat whose homely
Lancastrian voice and pinnies are counter pointed with
lupine growls and Titus Andronicus-style murder of the
favourite son whose head is then served to his father for
dinner. It makes good tragi-comic theatre. He does a jolly
folksy song about previous conquests too.
There’s also a very fine performance from Michael
Cox, whose voice work in a whole range of doubles is very
impressive, from the troubled adolescent boy with a catch
in his voice to the plummy cad of a shoe mender and the
gor-blimey woodcutter. Talented Elisa de Grey can do
extraordinary things with her face to convert herself into
totally different people and her balletic body and sweet,
strong singing voice are a real bonus. Becky Smith,
meanwhile, gives a warm and sensitive account of the
children’s loving but duped father. Don’t miss
it if there’s a performance in your area.
Fri 22nd
Feb 2008 Susan Elkin
Isle of
Wight Press
Gruesome
fun for all the family!
A gruesome tale of greed, deceit and murder came to Quay
Arts on Saturday when the Goat and Monkey theatre company
staged a thrilling dark fairytale, The Juniper Tree.
The cast created a magical yet sinister world with the help
of a simple yet atmospheric set, clever lighting and sound
effects. The Quay’s somewhat uncomfortable staged
seating had been removed and chairs for adults ranged
opposite each other, with children on the floor, nice and
close to the action.
The four excellent actors took on a variety of roles during
the show, which started with a group of woodcutters
preparing to cut down an ancient forest at the behest of an
evil, grasping stepmother. The star was undoubtedly Ian
Summers as the stepmother, entirely convincing as a sexy,
manipulative psychopath in a creation of comic genius. His
compelling stage presence extended to the Quay café during
the interval as he chided young members of the audience in
honeyed tones before returning to the stage to cut the head
off the stepson and serve it cooked on a platter to his
shortsighted father.
The blood fest continued when the stepmothers’ hand
was severed during a fight as she tried to cut down the
fabled Juniper Tree with an axe. All gruesome stuff and
huge fun for the younger members of the audience, some of
whom had to return quaking to their parents’ sides
during darker moments of the play. It was an original and
enjoyable presentation and well deserving of all the
praiseworthy comments from audience members as they left.
Mon 31st
Mar 2008 Rachael Rosewell
For what our audience thought click here!