Mum and the Monster

2003-2004, UK, Ireland. Ages 6+

About

Mum and the Monster

A small boy, a big adventure and a mysterious monster…

Tom lives happily with his parents in a small village at the foot of a mountain. One day, out of the blue, Tom’s mum disappears. His dad tells him she’s been kidnapped by a monster and there’s nothing they can do. Tom imagines his mother held prisoner by a terrifying monster and resolves to track her down and save her… Will he succeed on his quest?

Story-telling, comedy and live music create a world of adventure, where nothing is what it seems to be…

Development and tour funded by Arts Council England

Tour

Mum and the Monster

March 2004

3 Cranleigh Arts Centre
6 Stamford Arts Centre
7 Aberystwyth Arts Centre

February 2004

14 Bolton Octagon
16 Solihull Arts Complex
17 Mill Arts Centre
19-20 South Street, Reading
21 Phoenix Arts, Leicester
22 MacRobert, Stirling
23-27 Schools
28 Warehouse, Croydon
29 Warwick Arts Centre

November 2003

1 Battersea Arts Centre
8 Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
9 Albany, Deptford
22 Half Moon, Whitechapel
23 Bull Theatre, Barnet
27-30 South-west tour

October 2003

14-19 Baboro Festival, Galway
21-22 Glor, Irish Music Centre, Ennis
24 Cambridge Drama Centre
25 Jacksons Lane, Highgate
26 Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham
27-28 Harrow Arts Centre
30 Edward Alleyn Theatre, Dulwich
31 Farnham Maltings

July/August 2003

31 July-24 August Edinburgh Fringe

Team

Mum and the Monster

Tom

Lesley Cook

Mum

Sarah Goddard

Dad

Patrick Bridgman

Director

Olivia Jacobs

Writer

Toby Mitchell

Composer

David Lasserson

Designer

Isla Shaw

Lighting Designer

James Whiteside

Sound Designer

Jon Fiber of Shock Productions

Publicity Illustration

Chris Riddell

Reviews

If you go down to the woods today…

Tall Stories’ last two productions – The Gruffalo and Something Else – were hard acts to follow. But then this theatre company, who has made its name with imaginative and beautifully crafted productions, is unlikely to let anything go slack. And so it is with their latest adaptation.

So tight that the modulations in tone and pace are seamless, Mum and the Monster follows the lives of a little boy called Tom and his mum and his dad, with hypnotic rhythms, echoes and storytelling. By turns joyous and sad, exciting and frightening, this tale with an unexpected twist keeps up Tall Stories’ statuesque standards.

The List ****

Whilst most children’s shows disappear into a fantasy world that is often irrelevant to modern society, ‘Mum and the Monster’ tackles real-life issues that affect its audience, whilst still retaining the simplistic world of fairytales. When Tom’s mother disappears, his father tells him she has been kidnapped by a monster, causing Tom to trek up the mountain in search of her, meeting on his way characters and places from the stories his parents have told him. This poignant show has a beautiful and versatile set built of carved distressed wood that forms the various rooms of the house and sites up the mountain. Live music also contributes a more story-like quality to this well-acted show.

Three Weeks ****

This show may be advertised for children but it is so well written, adults will probably get more out of it than the kids. The ending is not quite the usual happy one expected of these sort of shows but it is not too sad either.

The set consists of what looks like the bottom half of either a guitar or violin with part of the sound box and bridge separate entities, each used in several ways.

Mum (Sarah Goddard), Dad Patrick Bridgman and Tom (Lesley Cook) live happily together. Father plays his accordion and mother and Tom dance, then father tells Tom monster stories in his bed. One very special day Tom is given a violin, now father plays his accordion, Tom plays his violin but who will dance with Mother.
Then suddenly mother is gone! Where is she? Can Tom fight the monsters and find her? Will she ever come home?

To find out try to see this show before it sells out completely.

One4review.com