“huge polka-dot donkeys, bright yellow cows and sparkly seahorses”
Ask almost anyone whether they know the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar and you will be met with sighs of nostalgia and fond memories of childhood. It’s a colourful and vibrant tale of a small caterpillar that, over the course of a week, consumes a vast amount of food. What is particularly exciting is the last day, in which he chomps his way through a junk food feast.
Although I am not a child, nor do I have a child, I enjoyed this performance because I was absolutely blown away by the puppetry and the set. With creations from The Puppet Kitchen (Disney Theme Parks, San Diego Zoo, NYCity Opera), the audience are captivated – especially the children! – by huge polka-dot donkeys, bright yellow cows and sparkly seahorses.
The cast (Sarah Hamilton, Andrew Cullimore, Adam Ryan and additional puppeteer Tim Dal Corvito) let their puppeteering skills do the talking but also demonstrate skills in dance. I quite enjoyed the synchronised puppet movements – you couldn’t take your eyes off the stage.
As well as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, three more of Eric Carle’s tales were brought to life – The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse and The Very Lonely Firefly. The set was a magical portal that allowed such versatility in terms of where the story could go next. Designed by David Goldstein (Daryl Roth Theatre, Minetta Lane Theatre) each story felt like a completely new performance in a completely new space.
I feel as though this show represents children’s theatre at its best and that in a modern world where children reach for entertainment in the form of their parents’ iPhone, we should be celebrating more visual and educational methods of story telling. This show does just that.
Reviewed by Stephanie Legg
Photography by Pamela Raith
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
is at the Ambassadors Theatre until 7th January 2017
