REVIEWS REVIEWS
Have you ever thought of taking a mystical journey to the great green,
greasy Limpopo river? Neither had I, but this is where we are taken by the
energetic cast of the "Just So" production at Chichester Festival Theatre. The Out of this World theme continues to provide inspiration for this fairy tale based on Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories set in mythical Africa. George Stiles the composer and Anthony Drewe the lyricist and director, present us with the magical adventure of the Elephant Child and the Kolokolo bird.
The musical opens with the audience hearing a child calling to her father to
read her a story. The father begins to read a Just So story and is
transformed into the Eldest Magician, played by Junix Inocian. As he
continues to tell the story we meet the animals he has just created, all
dressed alike in white long johns, vests and black boots. He realises that
they all look the same, so tells them to go forth and play at what they are
so they can become what they are to be. All agree except for Pau Amma, the
crab, who vows to play alone in deep water and never be obedient. Pau Amma
becomes a threat to everyone. Eating all the food on his daily visits to
land he becomes so huge that on his nightly return visits to the deep he
causes terrible floods.
And so we meet the elephants, now dressed in long grey great coats with huge
turned up collars and walking ponderously around the stage with walking
sticks, in step with wonderfully composed appropriate music. They are
discussing what to do about Pau Amma when in comes an insufferably chirpy
Elephant Child who will just not stop asking question after question after
question. Elephant Child is convinced he can find the crab and stop him
causing all the problems. The Magician eventually agrees and gives him a
companion, the flightless but colourful Kolokolo bird, and they depart in a
boat made from a packing case, a broom mast, and a sheet sail.
During their search they get blown off course and meet Parsee Man, Cooking
Stove, and Rhino on an Uninhabited Island; on the Veldt they meet Giraffe,
Zebra, Leopard and Wildebeest; in the Desert they meet Kangaroo, Dingo Dog
and Wallabies. Each meeting develops into a Just So story when each
animal further discovers its identity and takes on the form it is to become,
for example Leopard discovers its spots and Zebra its stripes.
Eventually Elephant Child catches up with Crab at the green, greasy, Limpopo
river, but Crocodile catches Child and tries to eat him. He eventually
escapes only to discover he has an elongated and enlarged nose. The two
wanderers discover Parsee Man's abandoned crab sheet boat and this sows the
seeds of a plan to stop Crab and at last all the animals are safe.
It's a delightful production. Full of energy and spirit. The singing is
excellent and enhanced by good audio techniques so we hear the words and
follow the story. Peter McKintosh's set is simple, just a few packing cases of books.
Most of the props descend from the ceiling on hooks. At the start each
animal receives a suitcase from above as they set off to play; the birds,
bouncing open books, flutter above Elephant Child and Kolokolo bird as they
sail the seas; the jungle is portrayed by upturned umbrellas, and 30 or more
paraffin lamps descend to light the way to the Limpopo. Crab is depicted
with an ever increasing number of very large dustbin lids,held by the
hidden cast, and flanked by two enormous pairs of scissor blades.
Each scene, a set piece for the transformation of each animal in turn, is a
triumph. To single out anyone in particular is to be unfair to the rest of
the excellent cast but the Uninhabited' Island where we meet Parsee Man
played by Ahmet Ahmet, Cooking Stove by Steve Elias, and Rhino by Nicolas Colicos was,
for me, superb and delighted everyone with their singing and dancing and
humour.
Finally, the musicians, high up backstage, supported the cast admirably and
helped to make this a well rounded production. Recommended for children of
all ages, you will enjoy it and laugh too. © JMB
“Just So” is in repertoire at Chichester from the 11th of June until the 25th of September, 2004.
