Search

Saved articles

You have not yet added any article to your bookmarks!

Browse articles

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

The Fantastical World of My Uncle Arly

 
Rebecca Vines Review by Rebecca Vines 3 Published: 6 Aug 2024 Paradise in Augustines Show Dates: 5 Aug 2024-10 Aug 2024

When that I was but a little tiny dot, I would sit with my grandfather and solemnly play both the Owl and the Pussycat whilst he transformed into a pig, a turkey and a runcible spoon. And a century and a half after its original publication, Edward Lear's romantic ridiculousness continues to weave its fantastical spell today: celebrating difference and silliness in equal measure.

Zany, dreamlike and intriguing

Newbury Youth Theatre brings the world of Lear to life with a wonderfully well-judged piece that eschews linear biography and leans into a zany, dreamlike atmosphere that would hardly disgrace one of his own works.

Through physical theatre, verse, puppetry and live music, the cast energetically paddles through Lear's impecunious early life, illnesses, and complicated relationships. It is a cleverly-devised and intriguing piece, which celebrates the nascent talent on display as surely as Lear's own life. There are some superb uses of dramatic flourish: costuming and props are used with imaginative flair, and tricks and techniques are deployed sensitively.

The wittiness and whimsicality of Lear's original drawings and writings is evident from start to finish with delightful little directorial touches woven throughout: the pobble's toes being a particularly chucklesome example. Some of the young performers are still honing their skills, whilst others are already strong and compelling performers; with some excellent and scene-stealing characterizations that scaffold and root the piece.

This is a nice little show which both entertains and educates in equal measure, bowling along with a charm and glee that reminds us all that beneath the flounce and fandangle of the Fringe, at its heart lies simply story after good story: absurdly, generously, and enthusiastically told.

Related to this article:

Location:

Performances

The Blurb:

Abandon all common sense and come on a voyage through the absurd world of Edward Lear. Best known for his nonsense stories, letters and verse, Lear led a fascinating life of adventure which, Fringe favourites, NYT present alongside his much-loved poems in a playful, rambunctious original production. Following their critically acclaimed adaptations of Kipling’s Just So Stories and Belloc’s Cautionary Tales, this will be a hit for the whole family. 'Exuberance, vitality... sheer joy' **** (ScotsGay.co.uk). 'A force to be reckoned with' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). Bobby Award Winner. 'A storytelling masterclass' **** (The730Review.co.uk).