A show which ends with an audience of toddlers and young children being told to take a run and jump would suggest a Scrooge-like spirit of bah humbug. But when it is an invitation to take a run and jump in the muddy puddles of a overgrown forest and climb and clamber up the leafy branches of a towering pine tree, to quote another Dickensian character, “Please sir, I want some more.”

In much the same way that Wendy in Ella Hickson’s feminist adaptation of Peter Pan at the Lyceum swaps standing in the wings for taking part in an awfully big adventure, the titular forest dweller played with impish delight by Jade Adamson in Barrowland Ballet and Macrobert Arts Centre’s enchanting co-production for audiences aged 6 months to 4 years swaps playing safe for taking risks.

Puddles are squelched to the thigh-slapping beat of Daniel Padden’s sprightly score and bees are chased to the tummy-tickling twangs of Rory Haye’s playful ukulele. But it is not a party for one for along the way Poggle is joined by a young boy played with wide-eyed innocence by Vince Virr who through gentle persuasion and trial and error goes from cautious stranger to carefree friend as they make mischief together in the woods.

Directed and choreographed by Natasha Gilmore with a lightness of touch which incorporates tumbling and climbing, tickling and sniffing, Poggle spellbinds the audience from the off through Virr’s delightful utilisation of a feather duster to brush the cobwebs from underneath their twitching noses and oxters.

A breaking of the fourth wall which is mirrored in the gradual dismantling of Fred Pommerehn’s lego-like set of woodland-coloured blocks and the tentative dropping of Virr’s guard which allows his friendship with Poggle to flourish. Hence the closing invitation to take and run and jump which the audience accepts with relish.

Poggle Trailer from Barrowland Ballet on Vimeo.

Peter Callaghan
Latest posts by Peter Callaghan (see all)