The Pleasance theatre in Islington is to host two musical shows for children this half term, 28 October to 2 November, as part of the Onassis Programme, which commissions and produces professional stage work inspired by Greek drama.
The first of the two shows, Stephen Sharkey’s musical tale Cloudcuckooland, was shown as part of Greenwich theatre’s inaugural children’s theatre festival in March this year, before heading to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Based on Aristophanes’s The Birds, the shows follows feathered friends Swift and McFly, who, fed up with the dirty, stinking town they live in, decide to found a new city in the sky. Angry with human polluters for destroying their habitat, the birds decide to take revenge and save the planet with some strategic pooing.
While Cloudcuckooland is suitable for children aged six and over, the second show of the double bill, Pick ‘N’ Myths, is aimed at three to six year olds and their families. Using songs, audience participation and silly hats, three actors present a medley of Greek myths, including the one about King Midas, who grew donkey’s ears, the story of how Theseus learned to be brave, Icarus’s attempts to fly and the antics of clever princess Ariadne.
CB