Puss In Boots at the Civic Theatre Barnsley Review
Puss In Boots
Civic Theatre, Barnsley
Reviewed by Jenny Bray
Do not be fooled by the title. This is not a panto but is a proper staged show telling the full story of Puss in Boots via a one man show, Patrick Lynch, with a puppet cat (and occasional mouse and flamingo) aimed at 3-8 year olds. It is performed by Lyngo theatre.
Lyngo Theatre Company are a UK based children’s theatre company, with strong Italian connections, generally putting on shows aimed at under 11s with props and a fun approach to their performances.
The show lasts around 50 minutes, which is the perfect time for the age range. It tells the story of Puss in Boots, from the miller leaving his youngest son his cat but no means of earning money or food. He thinks he has the worst deal as his older brothers were left the mill and the donkeys. However, the cat has a secret and can talk. He helps Felix out of his predicament.
Patrick Lynch, best known from CBeebies, starts the show covered in flour describing how flour is milled in order to make bread. This includes a demonstration of a large grinder and a large windmill prop being waved around. He plays the miller’s youngest son, Felix, who initially has Puss in puppet form. He then transforms to play Puss himself later on.
The show is performed on a sloping stage with a number of props including fruit and veg at one point that go rolling down the slope. The stage also turns simply into a variety of other sets such as an oven for cooking bread in, a pond to fish in, a river to fall into and a palace with a big front door. The lighting and sound effects also really aided the feel and flow of the performance.
The Civic theatre is a small, modern theatre in the centre of Barnsley. It is easy to find and there is plenty of parking nearby, which is a very good thing when going to a performance 4 days before Christmas when there are lots of shoppers around! The staff are very polite and the venue is clean and tidy.
We were sat right near the front, which was great for all the family to be able to have a good view.
I went with my whole family; husband, 5, 3 and 1 year olds. My children were enthralled by it the whole time, even my 1 year old (who I suspected my husband may have to take out at some point but he didn’t need to). All the children in the audience were captivated for the whole show, which surprised me with it being a ‘one man band’ as such. My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed it. There was always plenty going on, despite the initial view of it being a very basic looking backdrop to stage the show on. There were lots of surprises within the basic looking stage which made it simplistic but intriguing and really kept the story flowing.
I highly recommend this show for young audiences.
Rating: 4.5/5
The Civic, Hanson Street, Barnsley, S70 2HZ | 01226 327000
