The Stage

Just So

Published Monday 31 July 2006 at 10:00 by Jon Holliday

The writings of Rudyard Kipling may be out of fashion for adults but the appeal of his stories for children remains as strong as ever. The naive charm of how, when and why animals became the way they are is well captured in this imaginative production by Adrian Monahan.

In the impressive expanses of Caerphilly Castle on a balmy summer’s evening, this adaptation of the Just So stories by Jenny Baines and Julie Beckett proves to be sheer delight.

Who made the rhino’s rough skin, how the elephant came by its trunk, why the camel has the hump, when the whale’s swallow was restricted, why the cat walks so superiorly alone - narrator Holly Ashton links these stories for the Best Beloved, while as musical director accompanies on keyboards the jolly songs of Colin Baines.

The cast of six project animatedly, involving their audience without need of pantomime-style costumes, especially the young children who help create the elephant’s elongated nose in an enthusiastic tug-of-war with the crocodile, supply the ingredients for the parsee’s cake that the rhino steals and form the conga-conger eel for a short dance. The simple but effective props and settings are designed by Anna Jones and Patrick Burnier, easily adaptable to the various castles and historic sites to be encountered on an extensive tour of Wales and England.