This production, based of course on Rudyard
Kipling’s book Just So Stories, is brought to the Fringe by Arts
Education Tring Park. This excellent young company have been
bringing less well known musicals to Edinburgh since 2003 and the
ones I have seen have always been well staged and performed. I am
glad to report that although it seems to be a younger cast this
year, the standard has not dropped in anyway.
The musical starts with Elephant’s Child,
Craig Fletcher, being sent off by the Eldest Magician , Bart
Edwards, to speak with a crab who is causing havoc. Accompanied by
the flightless Kolokolo bird, Dani de Waal as a guide, on their
journey to the Limpopo river they meet a variety of animals played
by the rest of the company consisting of Will Rogers, Fiona Larkin,
John Hawkins, Luke Bradshaw, Jeanna de Waal, and Lisa Bridge.
The cast sing well, and especially on the
ensemble numbers where very nice harmonies were evident, the set,
perhaps a little busy at times, was none the less effective, and the
music provided by Simon Sharpe and Paul Tame was pitched at the
right volume, never masking the unmiked cast.
The show I saw hard a number of smaller
children present, and it was obvious that they were enjoying it as
much as their parents, given the rapt expressions on their faces.
****
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