The Princess and the Pea

Published Wednesday 28 November 2007 at 12:55 by Catherine Usher

Polka Theatre’s smaller space, the Adventure Theatre, is an ideal venue for a pre-school audience.

Kitted out in an actively child-friendly style, the softly furnished graduated bed-like seats at the front are perfect for toddlers to roll around on while their parents perch on the benches behind.

The Princess and the Pea is presented by a pair of friends acting out the Hans Christian Andersen story through dolls. Reminiscent of the stories shown on CBeebies, there are two child-like, but adult actresses - one who speaks few words (You-ri Yamanaka) and her more talkative friend (Seonaid Goody), who provides more of the dialogue and interaction with the audience. And, of course, pre-school children don’t adhere to the normal audience code of conduct. “Is there a princess out there?” Goody asks, only for a confident, clear-voiced four year old to reply, “No, there’s just children.”

The duo work very hard to keep the kids entertained for 40 minutes (no interval) and their efforts are rewarded with a very high degree of concentration from most viewers. They build the set for the story - the prince’s aeroplane, for example, is created by the image of a plane projected on to a box by a hand-held light and stars are also created on the ceiling in the same way. The pea is represented by a special green light - it’s all very inventive stuff that helps keep the parents guessing too.

Ultimately, this story uses the same kinds of techniques that can probably be found somewhere in the daily children’s television schedule, but the experience of being in the theatre and seeing the performance live is clearly what makes an impact on the youngsters. The atmosphere is extremely inviting and the three-year-old child who accompanied this reviewer was quickly at ease and enthralled, although it was her first trip to the Polka Theatre.

When the biggest thrill of the show is a big sheet being suspended above the children who jump up and start trying to pull it down, it’s clear that sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective.