DR SEUSS'S THE LORAX, London, To 16 January
London
Dr Seuss’s The Lorax
Adapted for the stage by David Greig
Old Vic Theatre,
The Cut,
London SE1 8NB
Perfs 3pm & 7pm; see full schedule at www.oldvictheatre.com
Runs: 2hrs 10mins with interval. To Jan 16 2016
Tickets: By phone: 0844 871 7628
Mon-Fri 9am-7.30pm, Sat 9am-4pm & Sun 9.30am-4pm
£2.50 transaction fee (does not apply to supporters of The Old Vic)
Online: www.bookings.oldvictheatre.com
Access:
For further details log onto Text Relay
By Post
Box Office, The Old Vic, The Cut, London SE1 8NB
In Person
Monday-Saturday 10am-7pm (except when there are no performances, then the Box office will close at 6pm).
Review by Carole Woddis of performance seen Dec 17, 2015:
What a joy
Some shows just hit the ground running and never falter. Four years ago, Max Webster brought a remarkable production of Helen Edmundson’s Anna Karenina to the Arcola with graduates from Birmingham’s School of Acting (see Reviewsgate review). Clearly, we said, he was a name to watch. Well, others evidently took note and here he is at the Old Vic with a list of impressive credits to his name. And now in this first ever stage adaptation of Dr Seuss’s The Lorax, he’s delivered a corker of a Christmas show, for all that its message is a dark one.
As planet Earth plunges irrevocably towards environmental disaster, Dr Seuss’s prescient, much loved children’s book, published in 1971, foretold the dangers of deforestation, warning of its consequences through his creation of the wonderful, beaver-like creature, the Lorax, who spoke `for trees’ and other natural beasties who couldn’t speak up for themselves: birds, fish, bears, etc.
Together with the prolific David Greig and a terrifically talented team (sadly, all male – strange in this day and age), Webster’s production brings the book thrillingly to life through Finn Caldwell’s brilliantly imagined puppets, Drew McOnie’s speedy choreography and a score by Charlie Fink that doffs its hat to West End musicals but not too reverently.
Slick, witty and endlessly inventive, Webster manages the difficult task of appealing both to young (6 and upwards) and older alike. For Caldwell’s chunky Lorax, with his handlebar moustache is a prophet to treasure: endearing, feisty, brave and poignant.
Greig’s excellent adaptation (as witty as it is faithful to Seuss’s original madcap invented rhyming language) finely balances conservation argument against the human desire for `biggering’ and over-consumption, encapsulated in the lively figure of Simon Paisley Day’s Once-ler, the young man who makes his fortune through a knitting product, the Thneed which requires constant cutting down of the Truffula tree for its existence.
Supported by a terrific, as ever selflessly brimming ensemble, the Lorax’s message, whilst bringing a tear to the eye in its recording of a paradise lost, is nonetheless hopeful. The seed that needs to be sown is born right here in this inspirational production.
No question, five stars!
Dr Seuss’s The Lorax
Adapted for the stage by David Greig
Cast:
Ensemble: Stuart Angell
Ensemble: Thomas Arnold
Ensemble: Miles Barrow
Ensemble: Jack Beale
The Lorax: (puppeteer): Laura Cubitt
Ensemble: Caleb Frederick
Donkey: Emily Houghton
Ensemble: Richard Katz
Ensemble: Anabel Kutay
Ensemble: Melanie La Barrie
Ensemble: Penny Layden
The Lorax (voice & puppeteer): Simon Lipkin
Ensemble: Carly Mercedes Dyer
Ensemble: Ebony Molina
The Once-ler: Simon Paisley Day
Ensemble: Juma Sharkah
The Lorax (puppeteer): Ben Thompson
Ensemble: Silas Wyatt-Barke
Musicians: Joe Evans, Jo Nichols
Director: Max Webster
Designer: Rob Howell
Choreographer: Drew McOnie
Puppetry: Finn Caldwell for Gyre & Gimble
Lighting: Jon Clark
Music & Lyrics: Charlie Fink
Musical Director/Arranger: Phil Bateman
Sound: Tom Gibbons
Casting: Jessica Ronane CDG
Associate Director: Eduard Lewis
World premiere of Dr Seuss’s The Lorax at the Old Vic Theatre, London, Dec 4, 2015
2015-12-19 10:24:14