The tale of an orphan - sheltered by her rich aunt, charming the snobs she meets with her sense of fun - Pollyanna is a relentlessly idealistic story. Nonetheless, this innocent naivety does seem refreshing considering a recent gradual introduction of more adult themes in children’s drama. Admittedly one winces when the well-to-do Pollyanna tells starving orphans to see the brighter side of life but the show does have an easy charm in its awareness of its traditionalism.Be aware however, that this is a show for little girls and little girls only. The script, although well structured, is poorly written as each scene is quite obvious about the plot points that it sets out to deliver. The show is also insufferably gaudy. Naturally this aspect will attract some children just as Cartoon Network does but for the rest of us coatings of stage makeup with lemon-yellow lighting makes the cast look quite unwell.Other technical criticisms could reference the over-reliance on props rather than the audience’s imagination, the poor quality of the pre-recorded soundtrack that occasionally leaves its onstage performers behind and the odd inclusion of a rather sinister but nonetheless relentlessly focused clown chorus, who remain frozen onstage for a large percentage of the ninety minute show.These criticisms were rendered somewhat irrelevant when I noticed the unfailing smile of two little girls in front. They clearly adored Pollyanna’s energy and genuinely wanted her to succeed in saving the orphans. The show may have been half an hour too long even for the children, and certainly for the clown chorus, but there is no disputing that it reached its target audience.
