"It's hard to think of a more dramatic setting for drama than the Theatre by
the Lake, surrounded as it is by snow-clad fells reflected in the tranquil
Derwent Water. On a chilly December evening it's also good to come inside to
find some seasonal warmth, and Stephen Russell's dramatisation of The Firework-
Maker's Daughter provides warmth in abundance.
The warmth doesn't only come from the play's tropical setting, amongst the
Indonesian rainforests accompanied by gamalan orchestra. The cast throw
themselves into the production with gusto. Vera Chok, in the lead, is a
suitably feisty Lila (now what does that name remind me of?), the girl who
scorns the idea of marrying a prince in the traditional pantomime way, and
the irrepressible bounciness she puts into her quest for the secret of the
perfect firework is infectious. Mitesh Soni is good as Lila's humble but
devoted admirer, but it's Declan Wilson as her eternal foil, whether as
elephant-master or inept pirate, who puts real fizz into the show every bit as
much as the backstage crew who provide the pyrotechnics for the climactic
firework competition and the simple but beutiful sets. Joanna Holden is also
memorable, variously as a hapless pirate, hapless villager and a tyrant king
who makes up in cruelty what she lacks in stature. And then there's the
elephant. How could one forget the elephant?
Philip Pullman is always a very theatrical novelist and The Firework-Maker's
Daughter, as with the earlier Count Karlstein, has its roots in a school play
he wrote in his teaching days drawing on ancient folk tales. It's hardly
surprising, then, that the book makes the transition to the stage so
seamlessly. It's not only children who will find this a memorable Christmas
show."
You can book tickets at the Theatre By The Lake website.
Leave a Comment