Review: The Aunties / Auckland Girls' Grammar

By GILBERT WONG

There is nothing wrong with this production that could not have been solved by lopping about an hour off its length.

At more than two hours, including an intermission, the show is way too long to hold small children's attention and even the older ones were restless.

Adapted from the story by George MacDonald, the good Princess Irene (Ebony Fleur) is the target of the evil goblins led by their king (Josephine Blandford). The brave miner Curdie, played with real energy by Sebastian Hurrell, attempts to foil their plans, but has to be rescued by Princess Irene. It is an admirable role reversal. Helpless and hapless princesses overpopulate children's fantasy.

The audience is encouraged to participate to the extent that their numbers swell the goblin army. The performers overcome the problem of a bare and exposed stage more suited to musical performance than theatre by using the whole auditorium, though sometimes the action darts away too quickly for the little people to keep track of.

The Aunties know the value of a cheerful and catchy song and do their best to create a musical with simple tunes the audience can sing along to. The trio of musicians on stage, who double up for various parts, inject real drama that pre-recorded music could not hope to match.

But the prime problem remains the flabby narrative. Any real action does not happen until after the intermission, while the long scenes between Irene and her grandmother become a bog that slows the whole show.

The Aunties, experienced children's entertainers, must know the secret to keeping kids amused is to favour speed over elaborate plot. Better to lose a song and a scene than the audience's attention.

For the Aunties this is a big show and mounting it represents a gamble that could be won if they took a scalpel to the script.