Gilded Balloon

21-24 August

£6-£8

11.15

The remit of Story Pocket Theatre, set up in 2013, is to keep classic stories alive & to perform them with as much beauty as possible – & this hour-long version of ‘ One Thousand & One Nights’ & certainly realises their dream. Like Chaucer’s Cantebury Tales, & Bocaccio’s Decameron, the Persian One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of stories held together loosely by an over-plot. In this case the ruler Shahryār has ordered the execution of his wife, Scheherazade, who delays this event by telling him a story every night.

In this version, our three cast members skip across the stage, move scenery, change coustumes & alter voices in such a pleasant & dreamy fashion, there is nothing but a positive energy in the room. The timelessness of several of these classic tales is brought to life, the highlight I believe is the tale of the Little Beggar, into which is introduced a puppet. Next comes the more famous tale of Aladdin, after which the show ends with a moment of touching beauty, as the king & his queen are reunited as two sillouhetted puppets.

As I was leaving the theater, I heard a young boy say to his dad, ‘Thats the best one I’ve seen so far.’ I could not help but agree, which really tipped the balance for me when awarding the stars. I loved it, the kid-in-me loved it, & the word on the street with the other kids is thats its brilliant, so here’s a happy FIVE STARS

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Reviewer : Damo Bullen