The Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man by David Wood

 It was a joy and a privilege to attend Leeds Children’s Theatre’s 90th anniversary production of The Gingerbread Man. Stepping outside their usual comfort zone, this production presented the company with new challenges, so what better way to celebrate than to continue to grow and develop new skills. The play, written by renowned children's author David Wood, was very engaging and perfect for both children and families. This fast-paced, fun-filled production captured imaginations and thoroughly entertained even the youngest of children, who responded enthusiastically.

Having a closed set with projection on the theatre curtains helped to build anticipation with people questioning what exactly was hidden behind. It was certainly one of those “wow” moments when the curtain went up, revealing a stunning set featuring a massive dresser filled with outsized objects on a shelf, including a transistor radio with a built-in light feature, an adorable giant teapot, and a wonderful cuckoo clock. It was just such a shame that the clock remained at the same time. Well done, Mark Smith and Gary Loughrey for a truly incredible set. The “wows” from the young audience as the curtain lifted were testament to that. T he set had been created in-house as were the props which were perfect for the production. Well done to Freya Almond Palmer. Congratulations to Jo Brady and set hands Sarah Midgley, Peter Waddicor, and Dan Turton for keeping everything running smoothly. Peter Waddicor worked his magic on creating a beautiful lighting design, which greatly enhanced the production. The sound quality was good and well managed, with especially high-quality recordings of the Big Ones voices. At this performance a radio mike decided to play up, as they can be apt to do from time to time, but this issue was resolved quickly. Thankfully the actor playing Mr. Salt had learned the art of projection so the story didn’t suffer. Congratulations to Ollie Grinham who remained calm throughout.

Every one of the characters had wonderful costumes that had been well thought out, and each looked great with attention to detail. Very well done to the costume team of Jane Curtin, Mandi Rugg, and Gary Loughrey, and to complete the look beautifully, the hair and makeup team of Manda Lister and Michelle Petrow for giving the cast excellent characters.

The musical numbers were catchy and well choreographed, with the characters singing and moving

with confidence. Janine Walker and Nick Field certainly faced a challenge here, but everyone rose to that challenge. It’s good to see young performers take on such major roles in a full-length production. All did exceptionally well with strong diction and clear delivery, maintaining accents, and they skilfully created characters. These talented actors owned them rather than just played them. Niamh Walker as the mischievous Gingerbread Man had boundless enthusiasm and great energy. This talented youngster was truly charismatic, funny and very expressive. Niamh had a special sparkle and simply shone with happiness. In the role of Herr Von Cuckoo, Phoebe Grinham, had the most convincing sore throat and gave a great performance. Lovely confidence. Miss Pepper was played by Lea Nnando who entertained everyone with her sneezing. Hers was a strong characterisation She was also calm and confident when things went slightly wrong. Lea had a good rapport with Mr. Salt, brilliantly played by Ollie Grinham and together they worked the somewhat noisy audience well. Elan Browne played the menacing evil Sleek the Mouse with conviction. With good use of accent and tone of voice, Elan made a perfect villain and totally captured the madness of this character. An incredible performance came from Alana Morgan, who played Old Tea Bag. Great characterisation.

The clear voices of Mr. & Mrs. Big were provided by Susanne and Ed Grinham and with a touch of reality added to the drama. The commitment at LCT to developing talent is obvious and well done for trying a new challenge. Congratulations to Dan Dainter, Janine Walker, Nick Field and everybody working so hard behind the scenes for producing such an enjoyable show. The Gingerbread Man musical was a deliciously warm-hearted family entertainment. Congratulations, LCT, on an excellent evening’s entertainment. It was totally engaging.

 

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