“All stories are based on some kind of
truth”
The Legend of Captain Crow’s Teeth haunts
the campsite where nine-year-old Will and his four brothers have spent many a
family holiday. And at the Unicorn Theatre near London Bridge, Matthew Lenton
has devised a family-friendly, if not just a little spooky, adaptation of Eoin
Colfer’s novel of the same name which provides a welcome opportunity for a
family trip during the Easter holidays.
Will’s holiday is largely spent
negotiating his pesky younger brothers and their Haribo-hiding ways and
trailing in awe of his older brother Marty who is awfully fond of a ghost
story, especially around the glowing rocks known locally as Captain Crow’s
Teeth. But the tale of the angry pirate ghost searching for the 9 year old
cabin boy who killed him 300 years ago lingers long in Will’s mind and as he
happens to be 9 as well, he’s more than a little anxious.
The play is swift, over and done with in
60 minutes, but is beautifully done. A world of daring imagination is nicely
evoked in the simplest of ways: a picnic table is inverted to become a bed for
four, a duvet becomes the rippling waves of the sea. And there’s a neat
parallel in the way that rational scientific explanations for the underwater
phosphorescence are thrown up against imaginations run wild and childhood fears
endlessly multiplied.
Alasdair Hankinson makes a hugely
endearing Will, warmly inclusive and sensitively pitched, guiding us through
the story and always ensuring he’s carrying the audience with him. Ashley
Gerlach’s elder brother relishes tormenting his younger sibling with a hugely
realistic glee and Cath Whitefield and Itxaso Moreno are masses of fun as the
manic younger brothers. As the towering, black-clad Captain Crow, Miles Yekinni
is suitably terrifying (though with a pet crow called Colin too) and several of
the actors double up to great effect too.
Garance Marneur’s porthole-dominated set
is darkly lit which provides ample room for atmospheric creepiness and the odd
unexpected shock. But the action also comes out into the theatre as we join the
party games at the Junior Disco and some lucky ladies get to experience Will
trying out some cheesy chat-up lines. Altogether, lots of shiver-me-timber-tastic
fun for children of any ages.
Running time: 60 minutes (with interval)
Booking until 15th April
Labels: Alasdair Hankinson, Ashley Gerlach, Cath Whitefield, Itxaso Moreno, Miles Yekinni