Tin Girl Story is an interesting production but I am unsure as to whether 29 Shoes Theatre Company chose the appropriate setting, or listing for their creation. This is not a play. The show merits three stars only because of the language of the text and the extraordinary playing of the double-bassist, Michael Cretu. I left the theatre appreciating it for what it was, as I think the grand audience of five did as well, but I was also sorely disappointed by the lack of what I thought it was going to be.There was no theatrical performance present at all. This is a poem, memorised and recited for the audience, but unlike shows such as Kalagora, which transport you to their world with their words, I did not feel the Tin Girl moving me to be interested in her story. It was more like listening to a radio show: you put the sound on in the background as a change from silence but there is nothing forcing you to engage. I had expected an acted-out story about a girl who wraps herself in tin to protect her from heartbreak, but instead I was given a monologue without the actions to match.I feel the show would have a much better reception if they listed themselves in the music section, and emphasized the classically composed elements more. In a small, underground room, performed late at night to a slightly inebriated audience it would be the magical storytelling-musical piece it was designed to be. However, if the ultimate goal is theatrical performance, they have much more development and work-shopping to do with their concept before it will be ready to be characterised as such.
