MIRANDA'S MAGIC MIRROR. To 17 July.

Scarborough

MIRANDA'S MAGIC MIRROR
by Alan Ayckbourn

Stephen Joseph Theatre (McCarthy Theatre) To 17 July 2004
Sat 10.30am Runs 25min approx No interval

TICKETS: 01723 370541
Review: Timothy Ramsden 26 June

Good jolly through the looking-glass for under 8s.Not content with writing two new plays for this summer's season at the Stephen Joseph, and directing a revival of his 1984 A Chorus of Disapproval, Alan Ayckbourn is keeping himself off the streets by creating this serial story for the theatre's Saturday morning Tiny Time Tales' slot.

The nature to which this story holds up an elaborate period mirror belongs to a tantrum-prone child. Laura Doddington's pretty, spoiled Miranda's bawling fit was too much for a couple of very young front-row audience members. On 19 June, it seems, her mirror-reflection also walked out on the girl's perpetual self-admiration.

Now, looking on her glass she's reflected by Kram, off-duty mirror-image for indisposed Mark. For all Miranda's temper and Kram's streetwise manner, both are ultimately polite, articulate youngsters such as populate Ayckbourn's plays for the young.

The logic of mirror images is applied to language. Kram is, of course, Mark in reverse. This is rather strange for, in the mirror-world Miranda enters with him, word order is reversed so Jolly good' (which only an Ayckbourn-invented child would say) comes out as at this review's head.

Yet neither the order nor composition of phonemes within words undergoes this reversal. Jolly good, Mark' would become Mark good jolly' - leaving the question of how Kram' is derived. This apart, Ayckbourn's very skilled with the idea, sensing when to explain reverse sentences, or have Kram re-arrange them for Miranda's and our benefit.

Visual humour attracts most laughter Kram and Miranda rolling on the floor as they pass other mirrors, the interesting implications for Kram of discovering Mark's recovering in the bath and about to step out of it with no clothes on.

Eventually, Miranda's handed on to Yecart, image of Tracey, who seems, on the brief evidence of Billie-Claire Wright's appearance, to be a feisty young lady. Next week, we'll know for sure.

25 minute episodes seem just right. By 17th July regulars will know whether the series is a set of humorous diversions with a pat moral, or whether Miranda will have been taken on a learning journey to match her parallel-world explorations.

Cast (26 June):
Miranda: Laura Doddington
Narrator: Stuart Fox
Kram: Iain Winstanley
Yecart: Billie-Claire Wright

Director: Laurie Sansom

2004-06-30 01:43:36