Elephant

Published Thursday 1 September 2005 at 12:15 by Chris Bartlett

Rough and ready, but with enough charm to stop a rhino, Dodgy Clutch’s exuberant dance folk tale about a South African chief’s attempts to get into heaven is hard to resist. And while its story is slim and close to simplistic, its emphasis on visuals and emotion over complicated storytelling make it a truly universal show that any age could enjoy.

Chief Zanenvula (Monde Wani) is a good man but a transgression he made as a young man has prevented him joining his ancestors beyond the pearly gates, blocked, in this instance, by some nightclub bouncers. There he meets a distinctly Mephistophelian agent, Louie, played by a worryingly Fagin-like Patrick O’Connor, who agrees to accompany him as he revisits his past to discover why his fate is linked with that of an elephant.

The energy of the 15 all-singing, all-dancing cast - drawn from the UK and South Africa - is infectious and Zanenvula’s journey, which mirrors, we discover the story of South Africa, is richly told. The undoubted stars, however, are a pair of beautifully expressive elephant models, who seem to float on air and add an extra layer of poignancy to this uplifting tale.