After my initial panic at being stuck in a room where the mean age of the audience was about four, I began to relax to the dulcet tones of the performing quartet. They had a strength of character in their storytelling which resonated throughout the iglu-shaped blow-up tent, and entranced their viewers, young and old alike. The Just So Stories are a compilation of tales of how the world began, and how everything in the world came to be as it is now. With vague references to the creation stories and characters of the Bible these extraordinary stories entice children with their explanations for an animal’s existence in the form that it is, a few examples being why crabs have claws, or why the elephant has a long trunk. Like most performing arts, it is in the telling of the stories that we experience the real quality of the production.I was greatly impressed by the professionalism demonstrated. These four women speak perfectly in sync for the rhymes, and sing exquisite harmonies during the scene changes. The ingenuity they present in their use of their simple props and costumes captivates the entire room. Most importantly they know exactly how to interact with their young audience and do not flinch from crawling in amongst them for the benefit of the story. Each tale has a learning curve to it with understandings of right and wrong cleverly woven into the setting, allowing young minds to go away with more than just a good story in their head.The Just So Stories is an example of children’s Fringe theatre as it should be: simple, spontaneous and spellbinding.
