Little Light
Civic Theatre, Tallaght
****
Monkeyshine Theatre draws inspiration from Nordic mythology for Little Light, an adventure through the bleak midwinter that finds hope and light in storytelling. Lucia lives in the far north with her parents and baby brother. It is a primitive but happy life: reaping the harvest, baking bread and tending the fire for warmth and comfort. One morning she wakes to find the sun has disappeared, stolen, her mama tells her, by trolls. Lucia sets off with her tinderbox to find it and restore light to the lives of those she loves. Dragging a caravan filled with props and musical instruments behind them, performers Nicholas Kavanagh, Eoin Lynch, Emer O'Carroll and Kate Powell demonstrate a wealth of talent as they sing Lucia's story into life and re-create the main episodes of her journey. The stylised wordless sequences are less successful, but director Kareen Pennefather manages to sustain momentum as the story unfolds over 45 minutes. James Jobson's stylish design is a delight, throwing splashes of colour across a glowing landscape of snow. A lovely winter storytelling session for children of five and up that would be nicely complemented by its source material, Phyllis Root's Lucia and the Light.
- Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, Dec 17; Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Dec 18; Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, Dec 22
