Comedy delights with plenty for wee ones to giggle at
Mister MacNeep has lost his sheep Scottish Opera Studios, Glasgow
MARY BRENNAN
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C HRISTMAS is coming and Pickle, who’s in charge of Elfin Safety (say it out loud) in Santa’s workshop is living up to her name: there are deadlines to meet and she’s an elf short of a day shift. Tiny – who does not really live up to her name – has applied for the job. Well, the ad didn’t mention size, did it?
There are other reasons to doubt Tiny’s bona-fide elf credentials. We can all see her, and grown-ups can’t see elves. We can, however, hear the pattering of little (invisible) feet, and thanks to the meticulously sustained miming by Mary Gapinski (Pickle) and Toni Frutin (Tiny) we’re soon believing in what’s not there.
What is solidly in front of us is a colourful, interior set (by Kirsty McCabe) which lends itself totally to the clutzy comedy mayhem that is central to the Tron’s seasonal show, devised by Lisa Keenan for 3 to 6 year olds. Wee ones giggle and laugh, as things go splat! But there’s a gentle tug at everyone’s heart-strings when it seems Tiny is just too different to fit in.
A bit of clever thinking saves the day, and Tiny is welcomed into the workforce with our rousing choruses of the elves’ singalong action song. Leaving, we take care not to step on Elvis, Felix, Ginger and their elf-chums.