East of the Sun, West of the Moon

This charming Nordic folk tale is not one I have come across before, so it was lovely see the story unfold, alongside a Sunday afternoon audience of children and adults.

As usual for the Bradfordians, the set was well thought out to provide different levels and entrances. Painted all white with a table, chairs and other props added, it provided enough detail to enhance rather than detract from the story telling. I particularly liked the window and the clever use of shadow puppets to portray the long journeys.  This was very well done. Good use was also made of gobos to provide some interesting effects on the stage floor, which added to the atmosphere.

The Bear’s costume was extremely well devised, with a very realistic Bear’s head and likewise the masks were excellently constructed. In fact, all of the costumes were beautifully presented and really helped to distinguish the actors who were playing so many different parts as the play progressed.

The leading parts of Mari and the Bear/ Prince Valemon gave persuasive performances with very good use of voice, expression, gesture and movement to aid the story telling.  Likewise, the other adult actors switched from character to character with ease and seemed to relish their roles as various village folk, trolls and hags.

The children were delightful.  They too had many roles to fill, from princesses to birds, and they all spoke clearly and acted confidently.

The original music, devised by Kate Courage, was very atmospheric and really added to the overall effect.

There were many moments where the children in the audience laughed at the comical trolls and by contrast watched in silence as they were absorbed and carried along by the story.  This was a charming production that was well received by children and adults alike.  

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.