GRUFFALO
Pleasance

THE Gruffalo has toured the world and sold out the National Theatre to critical acclaim.
But it was about to face its toughest critic yet, my three-year-old nephew Joe.
As a supreme Gruffalo expert, he was clearly a better judge than I.
But on arrival he appeared disgruntled and drowsy, despite being chauffeured by his mum. The upheaval clearly clouded his interpretation of the play.
Leaning over as the Gruffalo took his final bow, he condemned the performance with cutting simplicity. “That was bad,” he said.
While I always have time for this boy’s point of view, I must take him up on a few points. The Pleasance theatre was packed full of children all in riotous mood. They sung and shouted and joined in the pantomime moments with particular glee.
This was largely down to the performers who encouraged their involvement wherever possible.
And the fever of anticipation surrounding the Gruffalo’s late entrance was in no way an anti-climax as the leaping and bounding Mark Peachey entered, looking a giant in his magnificent costume.
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s best-selling children’s book tells the story of Mouse, played by Abbey Norman, who trips into the deep, dark wood in search of hazelnut.
But she runs into trouble at every corner, narrowly escaping appearing on the lunch menu of the hungry fox, owl, and snake.
She pretends she is lunching with the Gruffalo and her aggressors run away in fear. Foolish animals, muses Mouse – “there’s no such thing as a Gruffalo!”
But the Gruffalo comes roaring in, to the children’s delight, hungrier for moussaka (their joke not mine) than all the other animals in the forest.
But the wily mouse is too clever escaping the Gruffalo’s clutches and finally getting her nut. It is thoroughly enjoyable for anyone over the age of 25 – some children may disagree.

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Until May 15