Theatre and Dance Reviews

This production is a visual delight which keeps the audience enthralled if only through it's sheer ingenuity.

This is a loving homage to Herge's "Tintin in Tibet" which proves to be a really good choice. This adventure is a stripped down story without a villain and without some of the main characters such as the Thompson Twins or Professor Calculus involved. They appear as cameos at the beginning and in a dream musical number.

The production therefore concentrates on the adventures of Tintin, Snowy the dog and the irascible Captain Haddock. They go in search of Chang who is on a plane that crashes in the Himalayas. In an exploration of mysticism Herge was bemoaning the loss of his real friend Chang who had to go home to China because of the world situation in the 1930s.

Stephen Finegold as Haddock

From the frantic opening to the moving  final reconciliation, this production rocks you with its sheer inventiveness.

The stage opens filled with bicycles, the Himalayas are represented by a brilliant three dimensional backdrop. The Yeti's footprints appear as if by magic and a plane fuselage springs up from the stage.

If you ever tried to climb up the High Street as part of a charity stunt when a student, you'll love the expedition scenes and Act Two opens with a brilliant rock face scene. The best is saved until last when the Yeti appears.

The energetic cast bring this all to life. Matthew Parish has Tintin spot on - including the quiff!  Stephen Fingold is brilliant as Haddock, recreating the mixture of the irritating with unquestionable loyalty.

Miltos Yerolemou as Snowy

For the expedition Snowy the Dog transforms into actor Miltos Yerolemeou. Without elaborate costume he is thoroughly convincing and creates that unconditional love for his owners that dog owners will know so well. Under the influence of Haddock's Loch Lomond whisky, he steals the show with a rumbustuous musical number complete with audience participation.

About twenty years ago I saw Matthew Corbett with Sooty. This play does what he did then. It entertains the children in the audience, yet keeps the adults enthralled. It's a new version of the show which was originally presented by the Young Vic and  successfully promotes intelligent accessible theatre for young people.

I'm not sure today's children will be quite as familiar with Tintin as we were. Yet that doesn't matter here. Parents will also be pleased to know that this production, as well as being pacey, is not overlong.

The original books and the subsequent cartoons were brilliantly drawn and are of their time and that is captured lovingly here.

The cleverly angled set worked delightfully in the intimate Palace Theatre. It will be interesting to see how this production works outside its comfort zone in the larger auditorium at Milton Keynes later this year.

I am assured the set adapts to varying sizes of stage as the production tours in the autumn..