PREVIEW - The King Of Tiny Things

IT was reading a bedtime story to her young son that provided Poppy Burton Morgan with the inspiration for her latest show.

The King Of Tiny Things is based on the children’s book of the same name by Jeanne Willis and Gwen Millward.

It is being staged by Poppy’s theatre company, Metta Theatre, at the Udderbelly Festival from Saturday ahead of a five month nationwide tour which includes a date at Greenwich Theatre in October.

It is also the third production as part of the company’s Metta10 – the staging of 10 shows in one year to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the company which Poppy set up with her husband William Reynolds in 2005.

The King Of Tiny Things combines music, circus and puppetry to tell the story which is that of two young sisters who huddle together one magical midsummer’s night as they camp in the garden.

To begin with they are frightened about what the darkness holds but then suddenly a mysterious winged creature appears and leads them on a moonlit adventure.

Together they rescue juggling slugs, contortionist worms and caterpillars, a collection of daddy long legs and a trio of acrobatic baby bats. But while they are busy doing all this, they overlook their new friend, the fairy King who really needs their help.

For Poppy, this enchanting story was a chance for her to showcase Metta’s skills in combining a host of ways to tell the story.

“I was given the book by a friend for my three-year-old and every night I read it to him,” she says.

“It is a beautiful and emotionally rich story which completely engaged my son night after night.

“It has so many layers to it and the more we read it, the more I began to wonder if I could turn it into a family show and I started to think of all the different circus disciplines I could incorporate into it to bring it to life.

“I got in touch with Jeanne Willis and she seemed really keen on the idea so we started to create it.”

The piece now includes eight original songs which have been composed by Jon Nicholls and features four circus artists who not only do acrobatics and show off other circus skills but they also sing songs and operate the puppets at the same time.

Each creature is represented by a different circus discipline, for example the daddy long legs is a stilt walker and the bats do acrobatic tricks.

“Music and singing is a big part of the show but so is the circus and puppetry so it was a challenge to find artists who could sing and hang upside down at the same time,” says Poppy cheerfully.

“However, Metta is known for its cross-art form productions so we are used to these challenges and we have some amazing artists in this show.”

What was more of a challenge was adapting the story for a younger audience but that would appeal to adults as well.

“There is some great theatre out there for young audiences but we wanted to create something that would be enjoyed by everyone no matter how old,” says Poppy.

“This is a story with such great themes and it’s a question of teasing them out so that all age groups can relate to them.”

These include on a very basic level that of someone being afraid of the dark and exploring and overcoming those fears.

However, Poppy is keen to point out that there are also wider issues about gender, disability and equality which she also wanted to be represented on stage.

“In many ways it’s quite a dark story,” she says. “It’s about children being afraid of the dark – something that most children can identify with – but it also looks at how they overcome that fear and begin to help other creatures who they encounter in that darkness.

“There are many layers to the story and a lot of symbolism. It explores growing up and the fears associated with that, as well as what it means to be kind and respectful and to be inclusive and considerate to other people and their feelings.

“One of the other reasons I wanted to do the show was because my three year old had a nervous relationship with insects and mini beasts.

“He was really freaked out by them at one stage so I wanted to create something that would help him overcome that. By turning them into a big circus event I hope we can encourage a whole new generation of insect lovers!

“I hope everyone who comes to see it will go away thinking insects are actually really cool and interesting and realise how important they are for the environment and the world. That’s a really important message.

“It has been such a joy to put the show together - I’ve tried to make it as engaging, visually stimulating and beautiful to watch as possible. It’s a very physical piece with a lot of humour, though of course there are a few moments of drama and I hope we’ve created an atmosphere where children aren’t afraid to interact with what’s going on.”

And she says she’s delighted that the show will get its world premiere at Udderbelly.

“I think it’s a great festival and so supportive of circus acts which audiences are embracing more and more,” she says.

“British circus is having a bit of a moment and companies in this country are making more and more circus-based shows which is great.

“I get really excited about the storytelling possibilities within circus so it’s great to be here doing this show.”

The King Of Tiny Things is on at Udderbelly, South Bank between July 11 and 13. Visit www.udderbelly.co.uk for listings and tickets.

INTERVIEW - Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden

BEHIND every actor there is a good director, behind every singer a good songwriter and behind most British comedians, there is the legend that is Barry Cryer OBE.

The veteran comedian, performer, broadcaster, raconteur, writer and human jokebox is the man behind a multitude of names, having written for the best in the entertainment business.

And in a showbiz career spanning more than 50 years the roll call of people he’s worked with is impressive to say the least – The Two Ronnies, Morecombe and Wise, Rory Bremner, Bob Hope, Kenney Everett, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Mike Yarwood, Les Dawson, Frankie Howerd, Spike Milligan, Willie Rushton and Tommy Cooper..... the list goes on.

Not only that he has become a firm fixture on Radio 4’s I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, has written several books and has even had a number one song in Finland.

And despite being in his 81st year is definitely not about to go and collect his pension. Far from it. Retirement doesn’t seem to be a word that is in his vocabulary. Indeed he is currently working on a two-hander with his long time friend Ronnie Golden.

The pair are gearing up for their debut appearance at the Balham Comedy Festival on Wednesday, July 15.

“We are looking forward to going to Balham as we’ve not done it before,” he tells me.

“There’s going to be lots of singing – it’s a very song-based show but there will be lots of gags and all sorts of silly stuff, a mix of observational humour and anecdotes.

“We have written all the songs ourselves. They are a bit rock n roll, gospel and bluesy and will cover a multitude of topics.

“I’ve worked with Ronnie for a long time and he’s superb. He plays every guitar known to man - he's brilliant.”

So what sort of subjects will be covered I ask.

“There are no rules,” jokes Ronnie. “We don’t poke fun but will do stuff on anything.

“There is a song featuring a Stannah stairlift that’s a good one. It’s about getting older and is based on a 1960s surf rock song like the early Beach Boys.

“It’s about a woman who’s in the chair but it short circuits half way up the stairs and it kills her. So some of it is quite dark.

“There might also be stuff about zimmer frames, mobile phones and even John Prescott.

“There’s no dancing though – Barry’s too old so there will definitely be no body popping,” he adds chuckling.

The pair have been working together for about 13 years after Barry contacted Ronnie to see if he might collaborate on some music.

“I was making an album with my band Ronnie And The Rex and had written a song with the idea of doing it as a duet,” says Ronnie.

“Barry’s daughter had sung with us before a few times but I didn’t know she was his daughter.

“Anyway he had obviously heard my music, asked me if I was interested in working with him and it went from there. I love working with him.”

It seems collaboration is the theme for Barry’s professional life, that and what he modestly describes as “being dogged by good luck”.

“I went to Leeds University and failed,” he says. “I had a half baked idea about being a journalist but blew my chance of a degree by chasing girls and being in the bar too much and as a result my first year results were awful.”

Fortunately he was spotted telling jokes and performing sketches in a university revue and was asked to perform at Leeds City Varieties.

Any thought of finishing his degree were ditched. He dropped out and eventually he packed his bags and set off to London to find fame and fortune.

“It makes you think about luck and about being in the right place at the right time,” he says.

“I failed academically but I fell into showbiz by accident – I have never had a plan and I don’t really consider I’ve had a career, just a series of incidents.”

These incidents have included writing Danny La Rue’s nightclub show and inviting Ronnie Corbett to a club one night for a drink where they met David Frost which led to working on the Frost Report and meeting Ronnie Barker.

“In those days they didn’t call it stand up,” he says. “It was always a turn or an act. I’d become friends with Anna Quayle and had written a couple of things for a revue she was in. Danny La Rue asked who’d written it and as a result he asked me to write for his nightclub show. You couldn’t plan it. It was just luck.”

This in turn led to Barry, or Uncle Baz as he tells me he's called, meeting and working with a whole host of other famous names.

And as you would expect he has a lifetime of anecdotes about all of them and as he regales them to me other famous names shamelessly get dropped into the conversation - something that is of course entirely forgiveable because it's done with warmth and humour and is utterly entertaining and fascinating.

“I’ve spent my life writing with other people and I’ve loved it,” he says warmly.

“To begin with I was writing mainly in the amazing era of Frankie Howerd, Morecombe and Wise and Kenny Everett. It was the golden age.

“Kenny was amazing and very funny. Some people have got funny bones but the great ones have something else as well and you don’t quite know what it is. It's something indescribable – that’s what Kenny had.

"That’s what Les Dawson had and Tommy Cooper. Tommy could do the most awful jokes but the audience would still laugh.

“It was an amazing time but there’s talent in every generation,” he adds. “Ross Noble is a little imp. He riffs off the audience and is brilliant. Bill Bailey is superb and Josh Widdicombe is another one who’s great.”

So across the years, has he had any favourites I ask?

“Well the obvious ones of course, Eric and Ernie who were the best double act at the time,” he says. “They’d known each other since boys and the bond between them was amazing.

“The speed of Eric’s brain was incredible. He was so quick. Lee Mack is like that – it’s the speed and when you work with him it’s hard to get a word in. He reminds me of Eric.”

Another person he thinks is “brilliant” is Ronnie G, who has had his own very successful career.

He started out as a musician opening shows for the likes of Tom Jones before working with David Bowie and then forming his band the Fabulous Poodles. Their album Mirror Stars outsold both The Clash and The Jam in the early 80s.

“Music was always a passion right from when I was a kid,” he says. “I liked playing in bands but when the Poodles finished I thought what can I do? I’d always mixed a bit of humour into my work even with the Poodles. I did a spot at a place called the Boulevard Theatre as part of the Comic Strip and suddenly I had a different career.”

Since then he’s done voice-overs, most notably on Spitting Image, won awards for radio jingles and was Oscar nominated for the score to the 2008 film Dark Streets.

“It wasn’t a terribly well received film but the sound track was really good,” he says. “It had singers such as Chaka Khan, Dr John and Etta James – it was fantastic and a real trip. It was music I grew up with and to have these people do your songs was really something.

“So my career is quite a broad church!

“And now I'm finally going to do Balham," he adds warmly. "It's a festival I've wanted to do for a while so when John Moloney called and asked we said yes.

“We are really pleased to be there as it's a great festival and it attracts some great names."

And they are both hoping to catch some of these “incredibly talented” individuals when they do their Balham gig as well as introduce more people to their brand of comedy.

"We get all sorts coming to our gigs – students, families, and that’s the marvellous part of my life," says Barry.

“I’ve had a knack of being in the right place at the right time throughout my life.

“But I think if you get a lucky break and the door opens you have to prove you’re worth it,” he adds.

“I work hard to get the job done but I’m not a workaholic - I'm a people-aholic. I go to the pub with my mates as they help me keep my feet on the ground. I want to be with other people as it gives me a good balance in my life.

“My darling wife says never look ahead so I’ve never had a plan, I just go with the flow.”

Barry Cryer and Ronnie Golden will be at the Balham Comedy Festival on Wednesday, July 15. Tickets cost £16. Visit www.balhamcomedyfestival.com for full listings and to buy tickets.

REVIEW - An Oak Tree

Three stars

WHEN it was established a couple of years ago, the National’s Temporary Theatre promised a programme of experimental theatre.

And Tim Crouch’s play An Oak Tree is exactly that.

Crouch plays a sleazy and somewhat creepy hypnotist who is doing his second rate show in a pub where we the audience are his audience.

However, his ability to do his shows has been dented after he knocked down and killed a 12-year-old girl.

His hold on his show further diminishes when one night the girl’s father, Andy, riddled with grief and despair and believing an oak tree which is by the side of the road where the accident happened, represents his daughter, comes to see it in a bid to get closure.

Andy – who to begin with is sitting in amongst the audience – volunteers to be hypnotised and takes his place on one of a line of chairs facing the audience. The rest of the volunteers are imaginary.

At each show Andy is played by a different actor from the current National Theatre company. The night I saw it he was played by Kate Duchene.

To add to the experimentation, none of the actors who play the role have seen the script before they step onto the stage. They only meet Crouch about an hour before the show starts to get a few basic bits of info about the play but that’s about it.

It makes for a rather disjointed piece. Some of the lines are read aloud by both Crouch and the other actor from a script on clipboards but some are spoken just by Crouch and some he relays to the actor through headphones.

Throughout the piece he also gives stage directions, sometimes pausing the action to do so and sometimes while lines are being said.

For Duchene it was clearly an emotional experience, as she was wiping away tears at some points during proceedings.

It is essentially a play about grief, loss and suggestion and it was unsettling at times. There were moments of drama and of humour during the 70 minutes, but while it was undoubtedly an interesting piece, for me it didn’t quite work.

An Oak Tree is on at the Temporary Theatre, National Theatre, until Wednesday, July 15. Visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk or call the box office on 020 7452 3000.

INTERVIEW - Piff the Magic Dragon

THE London Wonderground has showcased the talents of many a sensational act. From burlesque to acrobatic artistry, music to magic the glorious spiegeltent has seen its fair share of outrageous and incredible talent.

But now it’s about to host the hilarious and magical antics of a green dragon and his pet Chihuahua.

Yes, the genius that is Piff the Magic Dragon is back and aided by his cute and glamorous, long-standing, long suffering sidekick Mr Piffles.

They are hosting their show Breakfast at Piffany’s at the spiegeltent as part of the London Wonderground season for two nights next week.

The infamous pair fled South London 18 months ago and set up camp Stateside after being spotted by a fancy Las Vegas producer who asked them to relocate to Sin City and do a show at The Cosmopolitan hotel.

Up until that point Piff and Mr Piffles had built up a loyal following of fans and the pair had toured all over the world, appearing at famous venues such as New York’s Radio City Music Hall, London’s O2 and Shakespeare’s Globe, not to mention Sydney Opera House, Soho Theatre and the Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.

But although they were riding the crest of a wave, by his own admission Piff says that the bright lights of Vegas won him over and when the offer came neither he nor Mr Piffles could say no.

“It’s going great out here and we have been having a very nice time,” he tells me. “I got offered to do the show and so we decided to come out. Mr Piffles has been getting shot out of a canon every night since then. He loves it.

“I applied for and got my green card so we decided to stay for a bit. I think Mr Piffles prefers it to home. It’s a bit warmer for a start.”

But now after nearly two years of lounging by the pool and soaking up the 110 degree heat, Piff says he has missed things like the rain, nature, grass and Jaffa Cakes and is about to pack his bags, tuck Mr Piffles under his arm and head back to South London.

Breakfast At Piffany’s, the show they are bringing to London, is a variation on one that has been very successful for them in Vegas.

With guaranteed thrills, spills, mischief and mayhem, it is part magic show, part game show and part comedy show. It sees Piff split the audience into teams to fight for points and prizes, whilst experiencing and enjoying some incredible magic tricks, surprise special guests and “epic thumb wars”.

“It’s totally different every night because it all depends on what the audience chooses from the menu,” he chuckles.

“The menu is my Wheel Of Magic which the audience spins and whatever the arrow points to when it stops will determine what happens.

“I divide everyone into teams and they compete against each other for prizes. It’s a lot of fun of course.

“At the end of each show we auction off a croissant for charity. We did it in Vegas and raised more than $15,000 over the course of 18 months. One night Hollywood star Brad Garrett bought it for $1,000. It got a bit crazy.

“I’m not expecting so much in London though – to be honest I’d settle for raising £15 over the two nights. And we might have to have a bacon sandwich rather than a croissant.”

As well as the food Piff says there will be a “very special guest star” involved in the show but is reluctant to divulge too many details.

“She is someone who has performed all over the world and does some crazy stuff in Las Vegas,” is all he’ll say.

“So that’s pretty exciting to have her in the show. I will also be assisted by Sophie Sunshine – she’s human but we do have Darren Gold who is the first mind reading goldfish. However he’s only going to do his spot if the audience choose him – so they need to choose wisely.”

And he says that Mr Piffles may well get shot out of a canon again.

“He loves it,” Piff assures me. “We might do the canon at some point – we may even open the show with it - it all depends on the audience. As well as some of the old favourites there will be some new tricks too.”

Piff acquired his act almost by accident. He had been a magician for 10 years and was and still is a member of the magic circle, but he wasn’t enjoying the work.

“I had always wanted to be a magician but ended up doing a lot of corporate events which wasn’t very showbiz,” he says. “It was more like I was in the catering industry and I decided I would have to change direction.

“I went to a fancy dress party dressed as a green dragon but unfortunately no one else bothered to dress up. A friend suggested I should wear the outfit as my act and Piff the Magic Dragon was born.”

However, it was during a gig at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that Piff realised he needed a gimmick.

“I saw an advert on Gumtree for a Chihuahua and I went to rescue him from where he was living in Dundee,” says Piff.

“He was all malnourished and mistreated and it looked as though the family had been kicking him, so I rehabilitated him, worked on some great material with him and gave him a new life in showbiz.”

The pair have been inseparable ever since and have travelled the world together honing their skills to rapt audiences.

“Mr Piffles is an integral part of the act now and he’s grateful of course,” adds Piff. “To be honest most come for the dog. I’m OK about it though.

“He gets to sleep for 23 hours in a day so he’s having the best time. He’s got lots of friends in the UK and will be glad to see people and spend some time back in London but to be honest I think he prefers Vegas to home.

“He sunbathes all the time, gets to walk to work and really doesn’t know how lucky he is.”

Despite living the high life out in the desert, Piff says he at least is looking forward to coming home for a few weeks.

“We are doing the London Wonderground which I’m really excited about before going up to the Edinburgh Fringe for a couple of weeks,” he says.

“We do have a very good life out here in America. I love performing and I have been able to tour the UK, Australia and America, something I have always dreamed of doing.

“However, I am sure we will come back home at some point. My parents still live in Honor Oak Park and I miss London – I miss the grass and nature – Vegas is a desert so we don’t have much of the green stuff. And Jaffa Cakes. I really miss those.”

Breakfast At Piffany's will be at the London Wonderground on July 13 and 14. Tickets £16. Visit www.londonwonderground.co.uk/ for listings and to buy tickets.

REVIEW - Shrek's Adventure!

FIVE STARS

THE popular film Shrek has delighted audiences across the world and spawned several sequels. It is now an imersive storytelling attraction too thanks to the new Shrek's Adventure that has sprung up on the South Bank.

And for someone who is a bit cynical about such attractions, it is quite something - and I mean that in a positive way.

The attraction, which has just opened, plunges visitors into the Kingdom Of Far Far Away where they meet Shrek, Donkey and all the other characters from the films and it is all brought vividly to life.

It combines live action, a really brilliant 4D bus ride to get to the Kingdom as well as plenty of fantastic special effects and lots of interaction for kids and their adult companions.

Everyone who goes on the tour is invited to play their part in the adventure as a story unfolds before them with lots of twists and turns along the way.

It starts with a ride in a bus - which is absolutely great. Piloted by Donkey, we flew through the air, circled over London, dodged witches on broomsticks, saw flying pandas and plenty of other creatures before we inadvertently crashed in the forest.

From there we had to make our way through the trees to find Shrek. Along the way we went through a series of rooms with their own adventures - the best being the room of mirrors which was truly stunning - it was designed as a maze and everywhere we went we were confronted with mirrors and no idea which way to go. It was a bit scary but lots of fun and really imaginative.

Elsewhere there were crystal balls, a swampy toilet, the Muffin Man's House, Princess Fiona, Pinocchio, bubbling cauldrons, magic spells and wizardry plus lots of jokes, laughter and mystery and intrigue as we went through the 90 minute adventure.

It was brilliantly put together, incredibly atmospheric and really brought the story to life.

And after the adventure there is a chance to meet some of the characters from other films such as Kung Fu Panda, the Penguins of Madagascar and the dragon from the film How To Train Your Dragon in what is known as the Arrivals Hall.

It was enchanting, fun, engaging and my kids, aged six and 10 absolutely loved it.

Shrek’s Adventure! London is at County Hall on the South Bank next to the London Aquarium and the London Dungeon. Tickets cost from £18.72. Visit www.shreksadventure.com for full listings, times and prices.