We travel with Lemuel Gulliver as he
embarks on his travels, travelling around Queens Park in Bolton. Yes, this was
an outdoor, promenade performance of Gulliver's Travels based on the novel
by Jonathan Swift. Now, a new adaptation by Satinder Chohan and Mike Kenny,
directed by Elizabeth Newman and Ben Occhipinti.
Gulliver (Michael Peavoy) is a adventurer, traveler,
and storyteller. He longs to be a hero in his daughter’s eyes, Betty (Anne
O'Riordan). Together they go on a journey to a land where he transforms into a
giant, and everyone else around him is very small. It is the land of Lilliput, where
war is occurring and the populace is divided. In the end, Gulliver and Betty
learn some life enhancing morals.
It's fair to say the audience were never
forgotten about, the performers always acknowledged and warmly guided them around
the park to the different scenes. Every member of the cast crafted their
performance style effectively for this family piece of theatre; their
performance delivery was childish and playful. Peavoy and O'Riordan, as the two
leads, kept up the enthusiasm and made sure the play always felt dynamic. All the
actors could be heard and were full of energy, appropriate for an outdoor
performance. However, in-between scenes, when the audience walked to the next
place, there was no real continuation of the performance until the next scene. As
a result, the experience felt a little broken up: a bit stop and start.
With each scene, the play gradually became
more and more theatrical. The story began with a small boat-shaped bed and
ended at the park's Amphitheatre. The Giant Gulliver was an impressive gigantic
puppet, magically puppeteered by the actors and the backstage team (although was
no real backstage for this performance). Queens Park quite literally turned
into an enormous cartoon, colourful pop up book. The landscape of the park was utilised
well for the performance, particularly at the start of act two. I'm not going
to spoil what happened on here. The lighting design was made up of fairy
lights, LED lights, and stage lights. It looked absolutely enchanting once the
sun had gone down.
A few songs featured in the show, but the
best song had to be the finale song, I believe it was called "Our Town".
This song basically summarised the themes within the play and was an affectionate
tribute for the townspeople of Bolton. It promoted: inclusivity, diversity, and
equality. It communicated that no one should be made to feel like an outsider
or feel like the "other". The end scene was directed in such a way
that it made this theatrical moment, beautiful and moving.
The young company of children, acting the
part of the small people, gave it 100%. One girl specifically was so loud and clear
when delivering her lines, I was very impressed. A large team of people have put
this show together, and they should all be congratulated.
Verdict: A superb
piece of outdoor, promenade theatre with excellent performances, a visually
impressive production design, and a big heart.
Reviewer - Sam Lowe
on - 20/8/18
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