Kes Gray and Jim Field scored a hit with their series of Oi!
Books for children and this immaculate stage adaptation that brings together
Frog, Cat, Dog and some of their other furry friends is a spectacular example of
how successfully such characters can be brought to life.
What it takes is a small amount of carefully made scenery
and puppets, a whopping great dose of imagination and absolute truck-loads of
energy and enthusiasm from a cast of four fearless actors.
I don’t say fearless for nothing. Devotees of the books will
know that rhyming is key to the narrative, and before the show begins the
performers mingle with the audience, taking the names of pretty much every
child in the house and writing them down, along with a rhyming thing for them
to ‘sit’ on. On Wednesday afternoon a school party had been held up in traffic,
and the show was delayed for about 20 minutes awaiting their arrival. This
meant that the participatory introduction went on rather longer than anyone
might have expected, so huge respect to the cast, who had to keep on mingling whilst
the deliriously enthusiastic young audience became wound up to fever pitch.
Dressed initially as schoolteachers, with cloaks and mortar
boards, the cast welcome us to Sittingbottom School for Animals, where Cat is
in charge telling everyone where to sit. There is no problem in getting Fox to
sit on a box, Mule on a stool or Hare on a chair, but then the new boy arrives.
Frog doesn’t want to sit on a log. It’s all knobbly and
uncomfortable and he’s getting splinters in his bottom. When Dog is told he
must sit on a Frog it all goes a tad crazy, as Frog suddenly develops a
miraculous and compulsive talent for rhyme. He decides he’s going to rip up Cat’s
rule book and give every animal in the world something rhyming to sit on.
Frog appears in the guise of a metre high puppet, operated
and voiced mainly by Robin Hemmings, while his friend Dog is a huge head, leg
and tail wrapped around Darren Seed. I never thought I’d find myself using the
word ‘adorable’ in a review but really – these animals are simply captivating.
Lucy Tuck becomes Cat with the aid of a sort of large mask, and Simon Yadoo
both provides additional movement for Frog and takes on many other animal guises,
including Cheetah who brings us a Mexican festival with his fajita.
I have a terrible confession to make: When asked by Dog to
come with him backstage I remained steadfastly glued to my seat. In a way I’m
glad I did, because otherwise I’d have missed the appearance of the Duck Billed
Platypus onstage, at what becomes the grand denouement of the story. There goes
my Olivier Award.
Oi Frog and Friends is educational, it’s got some
traditional storybook morals woven into it, but above all it is just under an
hour of sheer unadulterated fun. If you have one or more small children to
pretend are your reason for going then please take them, they’ll love it. If
you don’t have or can’t borrow a child then just dig deep inside yourself and
find the one that lives there. You won’t regret it. But watch out for the
Elephant – it has a trick up its trunk.
Oi Frog and Friends is at the Playhouse twice daily until 29th
February and then continues touring with a further 14 venues listed on the
tour.
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| Oi Frog - Image (c) Pamela Raith Photography |
Star Rating: 5 Stars
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
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