One sometimes wonders if companies producing plays aimed at children actually like their target audience. It is not unusual for such plays to feature overly complex storylines or jokes more suitable for older, even adult, audiences. Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company, on the other hand, is committed to offering entertainment suitable for audiences aged 3 years and older.
A mysterious stranger seeks transport to a secret location. He is The Gingerbread Man (Jake England-Johns) and is travelling in disguise as, ever since he was baked, his spicy scent has attracted people wishing to devour him with a glass of milk. In particular, he has caught the attention of a persistent Fox (Hobbit) who is on his trail.
The Gingerbread Man is a show which conceals a sophisticated approach behind an apparently ramshackle exterior. The set, designed by James Lewis, looks like a collection of odds and sods: suitcases pilled hither and yon, netting hanging to one side and a cellar entrance. However, like a Heath Robinson construction, the props serve more than one purpose. The suitcases slot together, Lego style, to become blocks of high-rise dwellings or, individually, serve as skateboards. The cellar door is lifted to reveal a full gospel choir—a group of puppets in a gloriously over-the-top routine that recalls The Muppet Show.
Audiences are now accustomed to seeing puppets manipulated by puppeteers in plain sight. In view of the tender years of the audience, Stuff and Nonsense preserves the illusion the puppets are moving without assistance by concealing the puppeteer. Thus, the newly baked Gingerbread Man arises unaided from the baking tray and the fox swims across a river as a bushy head and tail poke out of a bolt of blue cloth.
Initially, Jake England-Johns and Hobbit behave like an old-school comedy duo with the former acting as straight man and the latter an anarchic, mischievous presence. At the mid-point, the characters switch from puppets to live action with the actors taking on the roles of Gingerbread and Fox. The changeover may, however, be a bit too subtle for the youngsters to appreciate the change in approach.
The move to physical action rather than puppets does, however, allow for a highly energetic, indeed acrobatic, approach. There is even a comedic rooftop chase complete with a slow-motion sequence.
The audience involvement is kept to a basic level with youngsters invited to identify their favourite type of cakes or bid for a gingerbread, but, while simple, the approach succeeds in generating vocal responses from the youngsters and keeping them interested in events on the stage.
The Gingerbread Man is likely to be the first time many of the youngsters have attended a live entertainment and with puppets, physical action, songs and audience involvement, it certainly gives them a good idea of the wide range of attractions on offer in theatre. Let’s hope it encourages them to form a habit of attendance.