Dominic Conway follows his success as the great Django Reinhardt with another musically gifted character, Oravio, who for all the world looks like a ‘warden of the woods’, but is in fact a fairy with magical powers. As the clock ticks down to the moment when the last leaf falls from the tree to signal winter, Oravio with his fellow wardens (also delightfully unlikely fairies), Morgana and Pat, introduce us to the woodland creatures who are busying themselves in preparation for the dark of winter. Two bunnies hop onto the stage followed by squirrels, badgers, hedgehogs indeed the whole woodland fauna of shuffling, snuffling, buzzing and creeping creatures.
Pat, behaving something like a supercharged airline stewardess, gave us a little talk about the importance of shelter during the winter months. Later on a very posh fox, who had a strange resemblance to Pat – but couldn’t have been the same because Pat was from Yorkshire (or was it Lancashire?). This was the slyest, coolest fox you could ever hope to meet and it had the cheek to try and steal, yes steal, the purse of one of the nice ladies who had come with some young people. Luckily the warden was wise to the fox’s guile and warned the lady in time.
The show has the warm, cosy feel of a picture book come to life. The set and costumes washed in an amber glow have a lovely wrapped-up-against-the-cold-world tinge. It also has a very inspiring ‘make do and mend’ ethos. For example a very buzzy fly had enormous multi-faceted eyes, which looked uncannily like metal sieves and the hedgehogs could easily have doubled as pairs of very comfortable slippers. So no excuses for other visitors to the woodland for not being able to invent their own forest creatures with things they can find around the house or schoolroom.
Helping the show along are some very nice tunes which are played by Oravio and his two fellow wardens (Clare Beresford and Miriam Gould) all of whom are very good at playing and singing. They did a lovely version of the ‘Flower Duet’ with some different words (actually one word ‘nuts’)
Little Bulb are on tour from the Farnham Maltings who have co-produced with the Bristol Old Vic. The show will be playing in its woodland clearing at the Old Vic Studio until the 10th of January where anybody between the ages of 2-6 and anybody else brave enough to venture into the woods will be very welcome. If you are planning to take a small person to their first ever live show this Christmas you couldn’t hope for better than this. ★★★☆☆
Graham Wyles 3rd December 2015
