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Michael Cox reviews a charming but overlong production for children.
Company Frozen Charlotte have a knack for making clever productions geared towards young children. Robin, a co-production with Macrobert and Aberdeen Performing Arts, carries on the happy tradition.
This 45-minute charmer follows a young, earnest bird who wants to help deliver the Christmas post. Switching back and forth between real life and puppetry, we watch Robin run around the community, delivering parcels and letters. What she lacks in skill is more than made up for in pluck, and she soon endures herself to most citizens, including the mysterious tenant at number 24, who seems to be receiving a huge amount of Christmas letters.
Sure, the plot and characters are paper-thin, but the charm of the production is found less in the ‘what’ but more in the ‘how’, and it is here where the show shines. Performers Gemma McElhinney and Laurie Brown are a delight, and Neil Wilson’s set is cute, particularly in how it compliments McElhinney and Brown as they play multiple roles.
However, at 45 minutes, it might be a tad too long for its intended audience of 3-6 year-olds, but personality and enthusiasm can go a long way. Robin does deliver the goods—even if it does so in a roundabout way.
Robin performs at the macrobert art centre until December 27, 2015.
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