Relief theatre are a young student company based in Edinburgh. Their naivety, though it had a certain charm, was evident throughout. The audience are welcomed into the theatre by a friendly yet chaotic cast who were happy to show the audience to their seats but also talk amongst themselves, share loud private jokes and laugh nervously. The reciting of an adaptation of a classic Russian folktale in verse begins. Some of the performers, however, look awkward and nervous, not knowing what to do with their hands and clearly without a firm idea of how to present the text. Although visually awkward the performers deliver the text with vigour and created the intended picture which the puppetry followed.A slow and mostly detailed performance of puppetry accompanies the text. On a raised platform a small human puppet is the focal point for the action. The size of puppets amplifies the constant little mistakes which seem incredibly clumsy as a result. The overly complex design of the puppets also did not help. Although there were other problems with scale, there were some good ideas. The verse provided very vivid images but unfortunately most of the puppetry could not match the imagery provoked by the text, for example the passing of time and development of character was not shown clearly enough.The show is sold to be suitable for non-English speakers, but a story told in English and puppetry which is not well-defined enough to uphold the narrative by itself is a shock and does not constitute an internationally suitable show. Although very rough and not particularly unique, it does hold one’s interest. The show is free and therefore can’t really go too wrong as it is mostly entertaining and suitable for children.
