Toto tales, an Edinburgh-based company who aim to bring African tales to life, present the tale of Magnificent Moon to a young audience, targeted at children aged three and upwards.The magnificent Moon used to be bright and colourful, more beautiful than the sun with a rainbow of shimmering colours, admired by all. This causes his jealous brother Sun to steal his colours, and the tale follows Moon on the journey to try and get them back. Using a simple and uncluttered set, imaginatively recycled and costing a mere £30, the two storytellers weave a tale that moves from the caves to the sea and the forest. In particular, the sea was amazingly evocatively created with tiny fishes and a scary octopus that nearly stole the show from the magnificent Moon.The young children watching were captivated, and are kept involved and engaged in the story throughout. This is a show that has been well judged for the audience, short enough to limit the fidgets of the youngest, moving along at a pace that means they can follow the story while still holding their attention. At the end of the story we are all invited to get creative ourselves, and this interactive element has everyone - children and adults - sitting on the stage floor creating our own magnificent moons to take away and remember the show by. The adults are hesitant at first, but Mara Menzies persuades everyone to get involved, young or old. Its a satisfying end for the children in particular, and I imagine that by the end of the run many bedrooms will be adorned with a sequined moon.The show will be real winner with the under fives, and is a delightful gentle start to the day for the mums and dads.
