Patch Theatre. The Odeon Theatre. 9 Aug 2014
"In the Jingle Jangle Jungle on a wet and windy day, Four little friends found a cosy place to play. Moose had marvellous antlers, and Lion, a golden mane. Zebra had fantastic stripes and Sheep . . . well, Sheep was plain."
Patch Theatre's 'Cranky Bear' adapts Nick Bland's much-loved children's book 'The Very Cranky Bear' to the stage. The picture book is a simple but sweet story of four friends – Moose, Lion, Zebra and Sheep – and what happens when they seek shelter in a cave of a rainy day. Each attempt to cheer up the cave's very cranky resident, but it's the quiet and thoughtful Sheep who wins him over.
The fantastic cast of Tim Overton (Zebra/Bear), Jude Henshall (Lion/Sheep) and Stephen Sheehan (Moose) do a stellar job bringing each character and their personalities to life. In particular, Sheehan and Henshall (as Sheep) are wonderfully funny and endearing. The catchy closing dance number is a lot of fun and leaves the audience on an upbeat note.
Unfortunately, the adaption isn't as impressive. The play, drawn out over 6 scenes, is based a little too loosely on the book and the story is too often side-tracked by interludes and out-of-story dialog.
Despite the poignancy of Bear and Sheep in the story, these characters feature too infrequently and the ultimate gift from Sheep to Bear feels like an afterthought rushed into the last scene. The persistent questioning of 'When is the Cranky Bear coming?' from the girl behind me summed up how we were all feeling.
The musical numbers are fun but the souped-up "cave" (equipped with neon lights and streamer curtain) felt misplaced.
The costuming for Zebra, Lion, Moose and in particular Sheep is simple but clever. Whilst this simplicity works perfectly for the four friends, the Bear, when he finally appeared, was underwhelming. This character needed to appear bigger, more imposing and generally more bear-like.
Patch Theatre Company are a wonderful company making theatre for children that delights and encourages creativity and imagination. This is a fun and professional production with a fantastic cast, but unfortunately it doesn't do the story justice.
Nicole Russo
When: 9 to 23 Aug
Where: The Odeon Theatre, Norwood
Bookings: Sold Out
