STUART LITTLE

BY EB WHITE

ADAPTED BY JOSEPH ROBINETTE

DIRECTED BY ANNIE WOOD

LYCEUM THEATRE, SHEFFIELD, 6/6/06

Stuart Little?s tag line on the poster is ?One small mouse, one big adventure? and how true it is. Over the course of two hours Stuart, the mouse, manages to win a yacht race, get stuck in a washing machine, earn the love of his jealous (human) brother, the respect of the family cat, save a damsel in distress, fall in love and get married, (not necessarily in that order).

Having never seen the Hollywood movie version I was lucky that I was able to approach this as a piece of theatre with a relatively open mind and how impressed I was by what I saw. The level of acting ability and stage craft on display here is simply breathtaking to behold (especially as I had very low expectations of this).

Set in 1950s America you honestly would believe that all the actors are of American descent (they?re not). You would also believe that you?re witnessing a classic piece of American musical theatre, so well crafted it is, and in that I was totally entranced from start to finish. So too, it has to be said, was my three year old daughter.

Stuart Little, as I?m sure you?ve guessed by now isn?t an actual mouse but is a puppet some 2and a half feet high, voiced and operated by Stewart Cairns. So adept at puppetry is Mr Cairns that we quickly forget about his presence and instead focus on Stuart Little as though he is living breathing character.

He is ably supported by a fantastic cast who assume several roles throughout the production. Best of these is Neal Wright as ?Snowbell? the cat. He displays a fine talent for physical theatre and a myriad of convincing accents as he moves between several different characters.

Ross Sutherland is also very convincing and sympathetic as Stuart Little?s human brother, as is Rebekah Clifford as ?Margalo? the bird (winged variety) that Stuart falls in love with (don?t ask me how it works).

Indeed one would be hard pressed to fault this production. It?s entertaining, funny and surprisingly classy. More to the point it doesn?t condescend to its audience, adults and children alike. At no point does it take the easy road but instead relies on the talents of a company who are clearly enjoying the experience of bringing this story to life.

The script is full of character and is finely realised by Joseph Robinette. The set is exciting and again is marvellously done.

If I had a quibble about this show I certainly can?t remember it, indeed the songs are still rebounding around my head as testament to a truly memorable piece of theatre. This is the sort of show that proves that children?s theatre is not something that adults have to endure (like Fireman Sam ? odious) but can cherish, enjoy and be heartily glad to have been part of. This mouse is MAGIC! So book now and take the family to a real piece of theatre for once.

written by Paul Tyree

http://www.paultyree.co.uk/

13th Jun ? Sat 17th Jun		Wycombe Swan, Wycombe		014 9451 2000 Website
Tue 20th Jun ? Sat 24th Jun		Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham		012 4257 2573 Website
Tue 27th Jun ? Sun 2nd July		Theatre Royal, Brighton		08700 606 650 Website
Tue 4th Jul ? Sun 9th Jul		New Victoria Theatre, Woking		01483 545 900 Website
Tue 11th Jul ? Sun 16th Jul		Richmond Theatre, Richmond		0870 060 6651 Website
Tue 18th Jul ? Sun 23rd Jul		Civic Theatre, Darlington		01325 486 555 Website
Tue 1st Aug ? Sun 6th Aug		Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes		0870 060 6652 Website
Tue 8th Aug ? Sun 13th Aug		Marlow Theatre, Canterbury		01227 787 787 Website
Tue 15th Aug ? Sat 19th Aug		Theatre Royal Norwich, Norwich		0160 363 0000 Website
Tue 22nd Aug ? Sun 27th Aug		Hall for Cornwall, Truro		018 7226 2466 Website
Wed 30th Aug ? Sun 3rd Sep		Orchard Theatre, Dartford		013 2222 0000 Website