(Wednesday 18 April 2007)
EDINBURGH'S beautiful old King's Theatre is packed with kids and their parents - or, perhaps, their carers - and it's buzzing as hundreds of young paws rustle sweet packets and cartons of juice.
They're all on their best behaviour, though, because tonight Tracy Beaker Gets Real. As the lights go down and the curtain comes up, the hundreds of bright eyes are rapt.
The children's publishing phenomenon of Tracy Beaker has made her creator Jacqueline Wilson a rich and respected author. Rightly so - the books are brilliant and the BBC TV show is required viewing for kids with attitude from five to 15.
The eponymous heroine lives in a care home which she and the other inmates call "the Dumping Ground."
Tracy is, in the jargon of her straightlaced social worker Elaine the Pain, "hard to place" on account of her sassy attitude, which undermines her unending quest for a foster family who will love her, but which also makes her irresistible to readers and audiences.
Much of the drama in the story springs from Tracy's fantasy visions of her ne'er-do-well single mum, who in reality has left her in care, and it translates powerfully and movingly to the stage.
This first-ever theatrical adaptation, written by Mary Morris and realised by the Nottingham Playhouse company, had a successful premiere and short tour last year.
Its April run in Edinburgh kicked off a marathon trek around theatres in towns and cities across the British Isles, continuing throughout the summer.
The production is certainly true to the essence of the first book, The Story of Tracy Beaker, published in 1991, and to the look and feel of the BBC series.
Pippa Duffy, the young actress playing Tracy, nails the stage part with an authority matching the benchmark set by the TV show's star Danielle Harmer.
And not just one but two performances of real merit are put in by Emma Thornett, who plays both Tracy's reprehensible mum and her soppy care-home friend Louise so effectively that you might be surprised to find that it was just one actor in these very different roles.
The play is a musical and each character gets a keynote song. The music is mainly bright and lively, with an excellent band.
The words are sometimes a little quick and complex for younger children, but the acting telegraphs the meaning effectively.
Even Elaine the Pain (played by Natasha Seale) has a showstopping number towards the end and joins in a group hug. A must-see show for Beaker fans and their parents - or carers.
On tour now. Plays Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, from April 24-28. Box office: 0845 330-3565. Then Malvern, Wolverhampton, Aberdeen, Belfast, Buxton, Poole, Nottingham, Hackney, Tunbridge Wells, Leeds, Manchester and Milton Keynes. Visit www.tracybeakertour.co.uk for full tour schedule, box-office information and other details.
MALCOLM BURNS
Subscribe to the Morning Star online
For peace and socialism - the only socialist daily paper in the English language
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment