Review: Wolf! at Northern Stage
We joined Jack the trainee shepherd for a woolly seasonal tale for pre-schoolers
Animal husbandry is to the fore in Northern Stage’s festive offering for the under fives with a spin on the Aesop fable about the boy who cried “Wolf!”
Except in this version for our age, it’s a trainee shepherdess called Jack who cries out in mischief once too often so isn’t believed by villagers when the alarm is genuine.
On a lovely wintry set beneath a “silvery” moon (“Is it real?” murmured one tickled tot), our tale unfolds, from the birth of Jack to her induction into shepherding.
As her dad demonstrates, there’s counting sheep and finding sheep and rescuing sheep.
They fly about the stage, these sheep, to the delight of audience members at this pre-premiere ‘guest’ performance, some of whom who would have fit into a farmer’s wellington boot.
Then there’s the daily ‘note to self’ to remember hat, coat and sandwiches before heading for the hills. The latter, as you will discover, can be a lifesaver for the woolly beasts in a shepherd’s charge.
The two actors work extremely hard, bringing various characters to life through word, song and bleating.
One of these characters is Barbara – or should that be Baaabara? – who is prone, as sheep are, to making random deposits (again, tickling assembled tots no end).
Chris Coxon was joined on stage for this performance by Hannah Goudie-Hunter, standing in as Jack for Maryam Ali who was ill.
Hannah is one half of Kitchen Zoo (the other being Bob Nicholson) who specialise in creating enchanting theatre shows for the very young.
This, directed by Brad McCormick, is a Kitchen Zoo production in association with Northern Stage and it is a wonderful example of what they can do.
Audiences of under fives can be challenging (memories of yonks ago when my then pre-schooler interrupted a show such as this to inquire: “Can we go to Fenwick’s now?”).
But little ones bring no cynicism. Their imaginations are unsullied, their preconceptions zero. A moon hanging over a stage might be real and who says a puppet sheep can’t poo?
Seeing their absorption in this tale and hearing them laugh in the right places (most of them, to be fair) will be reward enough for the grown-ups who accompany them, following the sheep-shaped floor stickers to the place where the magic happens.
Songs written by Katie Doherty, a twinkly set, wonderful props, energetic performances and a sensible duration of about 45 minutes add up to a winter treat for all concerned.
And what a wonderful introduction to the theatre! Twenty years hence, some of these dancing tots might be stroking their chins and discussing Beckett, Pinter and Shakespeare – and all because of a shaggy sheep story at Northern Stage.
Wolf! runs from November 28 until January 4 with a range of daytime performances. Tickets from the Northern Stage box office.