The Gruffalo's Child
2005-2009, UK, Dubai. Ages 4+
About
Adapted from the picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should
Ever set foot in the deep dark wood…
But one wild and windy night the Gruffalo’s child ignores her father’s warning and tiptoes out into the snow. After all, the Big Bad Mouse doesn’t really exist… does he?
Songs, laughs and scary fun for children aged 4 and up, and their adults…
Tour
DUBAI 2009
25 Mar-1 Apr Madinat Theatre
December 2008
4-6 The Lights, Andover
11-14 Trestle, St Albans
16-20 Laurence Batley, Huddersfield
23, 27, 28 Hextable Dance
Xmas 2007
Arts Theatre, London
November 2007
1- 3 Wolverhampton
6-7 Eastbourne Winter Gardens
8-10 King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
16-18 Everyman, Cheltenham
October 2007
4-6 Forum Theatre, Billingham
9-10 The Capitol, Horsham
14-16 Skegness
18-20 Preston Guild Hall
21-23 Corn Exchange, Kings Lynn
26-28 Civic Centre, St Albans
30-31 Peterborough
September 2007
16-18 Queens Theatre, Barnstable
21-23 Derby Assembly Rooms
27-30 Swindon
August 2007
1-4 New Theatre, Cardiff
9-12 Theatre Royal Glasgow
17-19 Connaught, Worthing
21-25 Palace Theatre, Southend
28-30 Greenwich Theatre
31-2 Sep The Grove, Dunstable
July 2007
5-7 Theatre Royal, Brighton
18-22 Truro
26-29 Oxford Playhouse
June 2007
8-10 North Wales Theatre, Llandudno
13-16 Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford
20-23 Cambridge Arts Theatre
26-27 Colchester
28-30 Richmond
30-2 June Theatre Royal Bath
May 2007
4-6 Churchill Theatre, Bromley
7, 10-12 The Lowry, Salford
16-19 Wycombe Swan Theatre
22-26 Belfast Grand
28 Bournemouth
Apr 2007
3-4 The Point, Eastleigh
11-14 Chelmsford Civic Theatre
27-29 Churchill Theatre, Bromley
March 2007
4 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy
8 Paisley Arts Centre
10-11 Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
15-17 Buxton Opera House
18 Maltings, Ely
21-25 Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling
30 The Hawth, Crawley
31 Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
February 2007
2-3 Theatre Royal Winchester
4 The Junction, Cambridge
5-7 York Grand Opera House
9-10 Jackson’s Lane, London
13 Norwich Arts Centre
14 Mill Arts Community Education, Banbury
15 Civic Centre Aylesbury
18 Stafford Gatehouse Theatre
21 Wintergardens, Eastbourne
22 Compass Theatre, Ickenham
23 Stamford Arts Centre
January 2007
27 Croydon Clocktower
Xmas 2006
5 Dec to 6 Jan Warwick Arts Centre
11 to 30 Dec Gardner Arts Centre, Brighton
November 2006
3-5 Pegasus, Oxford
6 The Welfare, Ystradgynlais
8 Wyeside Arts Centre
10 Rhyll International Pavilion
11 Theatr Hafren, Newton
12 Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan
17-18 Forum 28, Barrow in Furness
19-21 Rosehill Arts Centre, Whitehaven
28-2 Dec Phoenix, Leicester
October 2006
21 Cranleigh Arts Centre
23-27 Trinity Arts Centre, Tunbridge Wells
August 2006
4-28 Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Fringe
July 2006
5-29 Polka Theatre, Wimbledon
June 2006
3 Mansfield Palace Theatre
May 2006
20 Tricycle, Kilburn
23-24 The Brindley, Runcorn, Cheshire
27 & 30 Lyric, Hammersmith
31-2 June The Egg, Bath
April 2006
3-5 Corn Exchange, Newbury
10-17 MacRobert, Stirling
23 The Albany, Deptford
28-29 The Warehouse, Croydon
March 2006
8-26 Pleasance Islington, London
February 2006
15-19 ArtsDepot, London
21-26 Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham
January 2006
7 Vera Fletcher Hall, Thames Ditton
Xmas 2005
Norden Farm Arts Centre, Maidenhead
26 October to 12 November 2005
Polka Theatre, Wimbledon
Team
Adapted by the company from the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler (Macmillan Children’s Books)
Narrator
Morag Cross (original production), Hilda Gardner, Luanna Priestman, Alice Parsloe, Lesley Cook, Abbey Norman
Gruffalo’s Child
Angela Laverick (original production), Sarah Thomas Lane, Caroline Garland, Karina Garnett, Yvette Clutterbuck, Marie-Therese Devine
Gruffalo/Predators
Alex Perkins (original production), Rowan Talbot, Liam Lane, Felix Hayes, Alex Scott Fairley, Stuart Slavicky
Directors/Adapters
Olivia Jacobs and Toby Mitchell
Designer
Isla Shaw
Lighting Designer
James Whiteside
Puppet Designers
Yvonne Stone and Polly Laurence
Musical Directors
Jon Fiber
Choreography
Morag Cross and the company
Scenic Construction
KW Props
Costumiers
Pip Hazell and Victoria Jarrett
Puppet Construction Assistant
Vikki King
Music
Jon Fiber and Andy Shaw
Lyrics
Jon Fiber, Andy Shaw and Olivia Jacobs
Music production and recording by Jon Fiber and Andy Shaw for Shock Productions
Additional musicians
Bass guitar: Ben Epstein
Drums: Tom Meadows
Fiddle: Pete Cooper
Thanks to:
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler; everyone at Macmillan Children’s Books; everyone at our touring venues; Lenny Peters and Ben Richardson; Caroline Beckman; all at Finchley Progressive; all at the Compass Theatre, Ickenham; all at Quicksilver; all at All Saints Arts Centre; the Tall Stories board members.
This show is for Freddie.
Reviews
Sequels are notoriously tricky affairs, rarely living up to their original. But once again, children’s theatre company, Tall Stories have proved they’re incapable of staging a bad show. This clever adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s picture book is every bit as funny, charming and innovative as The Gruffalo.
When Gruffalo junior sets off through the woods to find the infamous ‘Big Bad Mouse’, he meets the same cast of forest-dwellers his dad did last time. A debonair snake, eccentric owl and wide-boy fox – all of whom are played by Liam Lane, a master of characterisation.
One catchy tune follows another, as the talented cast drive the show along with unremitting gusto. Above all, The Gruffalo’s Child is fun, easy to follow and captivating for young wandering minds – in short, everything good children’s theatre should be.
THE LIST
Fun, daft and a little scary!
TIME OUT
Now, keep up at the back. In The Gruffalo, the much-loved picture-book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the eponymous monster was bested by a clever little mouse. In this sequel, lovingly and simply brought to the stage by Tall Stories TC, Gruff junior wants to see for herself whether Dad is telling the truth about this now-legendary rodent.
Although the running time is a toddler-friendly 50 minutes, that’s still something of a stretch for 76 lines of cute rhyming verse. Adaptor Toby Mitchell has fleshed out the action and director Olivia Jacobs involves her enthusiastic cast of three in some inventive storytelling as they scamper through the revolving trees in a variety of roles.
Morag Cross makes a wonderfully comforting narrator as she talks us through the mini-monster’s daring journey into the deep, dark wood. Angela Laverick’s Gruffalo is an irrepressible ball of energy in a furry jumpsuit and the nursery school children behind me particularly appreciated Rowan Talbot’s continual reappearance as different animals.
The little guy wins through and might isn’t proved to be right: what better message could Gruffa-holics of all ages take away with them?
EVENING STANDARD
Publicity
Education Pack
High resolution images
Click on the thumbnails below for full size images.
Please credit the illustration as ‘Copyright Macmillan Children’s Books’ and the photos as ‘Copyright Geraint Lewis’.
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