Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
The Piper's Reader's Review
The Piper
The Piper was a fantastic way to spend a rainy Friday morning. It is advertised as 'an immersive retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin' and while most of the audience sits and watches in the traditional way, others get the opportunity to become an integral part of the show. Those who have booked onstage tickets go backstage before the performance starts, where they are fitted with wireless headphones and given instructions before joining the cast on stage.
In this retelling Hamelin is situated in Australia and the piper herself is a life-size bear. The Bear doesn't appear until halfway through the show but turns out to have been a part of the story all along. The atmosphere of The Piper is quite magical: atmospheric video images are projected onto the backdrop and the set itself relies on the imaginative rearranging of various white blocks and ramps. The sound effects and music are wonderful and the narration throughout adds an enjoyably dry commentary while making sure no-one loses track of the story.
The Mayor is a wonderfully comical figure, exceedingly pleased with himself until things start to get out of control, and the rat puppets are handled brilliantly and with a great deal of humour. The children are the heroes of this piece, along with the Bear they save Hamelin, but of course Hamelin loses them in the end. This could be a little scary for some in the audience but is handled really well, with a fabulous final scene of the children and the Bear enjoying life together. The Piper moves at a perfect pace, it is fun and exciting but thought provoking as well. My family thought it was one of the best shows we've seen, and the rest of the audience seemed equally engrossed.
My 11 year old son was one of the audience members to have the full immersive experience: 'I absolutely loved it. I thought it was extremely good and being on the stage for the whole thing was an extremely fun experience. It was really interesting too. Some shows ask for members of the audience to come and help for a select part but The Piper had you doing it the whole time. It was a whole different experience from watching it and, as far as I'm concerned, even funner.'
I stayed in the audience with my 7 year old daughter, who also enjoyed it a great deal: 'I liked it. I liked the voice that always told you what was happening and I liked the music. You could go on the stage if you wanted to but I didn't want to, I wanted to be in the audience. I liked how they did pictures on the fabric at the back, they were really pretty.'
The Piper was a really magical experience, suitable for all ages as everyone got something a little different from it. My son loved his onstage experience while his sister and I enjoyed the show all the more for seeing him take part. It is recommended for ages 5 plus but there were families with toddlers who seemed entranced by what was happening on stage. If you can make it along, you should!
Reviewed by Abigail Fuller 14 August