Philippa Hogg and Joe Etherington in Little Robin Redbreast at The Salberg Studio, Salisbury Playhouse.
Little Robin Redbreast continues at The Salberg Studio, Salisbury Playhouse until 31 December.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Every picture tells a story…and there are 24 of them in Salisbury Playhouse’s charming Christmas show for tiny tots and their families.
Part of a giant advent calendar that spans the whole of the back wall of the Playhouse’s Studio space, each window opens to tell the story of Little Robin Redbreast, who falls out of the nest and has to find his way home in time for Christmas Eve.
Written by Playhouse artistic director Gareth Machin and musical theatre veteran Glyn Kerslake, it works a treat with mummies and daddies twitching their squirrel tails on command and calling out ‘1, 2, 3’ with enthusiasm to open the windows while their young charges (some very young) watch on entranced.
The pair collaborated on last year’s enchanting adaptation of The Night Before Christmas and this year’s effort has a similar set of ingredients – simple plot, jolly tunes, plenty of joining in fun, lots of quirky animal characters, a journey into danger and then home again to happy ever after – all in a child-friendly 55 minutes.
It’s short on dialogue, heavy on songs and music that rolls from funk and blues to simple jingles, and has plenty of jokes for the grown-ups to chuckle at.
The story starts with 5-year-old Robin (Joe Etherington) presented with an advent calendar with pictures, unlike his annoying sister Molly (Philippa Hogg) who has a sweet tooth and wants the chocolate variety – and she doesn’t share.
Busy mum Mum (Elaine Glover) and songwriter Dad (Dan Smith, who doubles as musical director for the show) have their own lives to lead, but when Joe opens the first window on his namesake Little Robin Redbreast, he and the whole family are plunged into a series of adventures that illustrate the importance of family, friendship and love at Christmas time.
While Etherington sticks to his Robin persona in a shiny red jacket, the other three work their way through the animal kingdom with Smith’s streetwise squirrel and his nutty song particularly memorable.
Glover has fun with a French feline who is feelin’ the blues and Hogg shines as a tap-dancing starlet of a mouse.
Huge fun is had with all three as Scandinavian reindeer, prancing about in front of Ikea-inspired Christmas decorations, in light-up festive jumpers and bauble necklaces, to an upbeat Abba-style number.
Peter Hunter’s lighting illuminates each of the advent windows in Toot Butcher’s gorgeous set perfectly and director Machin keeps the whole thing bubbling along without a dip, aided by Joanne Redman’s choreography.
It’s a spellbinding treat for tots getting their first taste of live theatre – and their adults should have a lovely time too.
Lesley Bates
Readers may also be interested in:
Interview – performer turned composer Glyn Kerslake on his latest show – Little Robin Redbreast at Salisbury Playhouse
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