Charlie Cook's Favourite Book
Charlie loves reading, especially stories about ghosts and ghouls, but his sister hates it (she says it’s boring)! Can Charlie convince her that books are in fact fun? Perhaps if she reads a book about a pirate, who is reading a book about Goldilocks, who is reading a book about a knight, who is reading a book about… well you get the gist! This Little Angel Theatre co-production offers you and your little ones a chance to delve into a range of books with Charlie Cook - but will you find a happily ever after?
Another award winning book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler has been transformed into a stage show for young people and their families, with a specific age recommendation of 3-8 years. As the production has been on tour for many months now, you may think that they would have it absolutely perfected, however something about The Trafalgar Theatre just didn’t seem to work as its new home. This may be due to the sheer size of the space, meaning the acoustics absorbed too much of the sound, or perhaps the team were simply unable to redesign the technical elements required to fit a larger West End venue following its more frequent regional auditoriums.
It also seemed curious that the auditory aspect was an issue, as we were sat almost as close to the stage as you could be, with speakers seeming to surround us and in full working order. The cast also wore head-mics, however didn’t seem to be particularly projecting, and so it could well be that their lines were just not being picked up let alone properly amplified. It was clear that others were having a hard time making out what was being said as grown ups were having to repeat entire monologues to their children to ensure they could follow along.
The vocal quality of the performers was also called into question when the musical numbers began and there was no live music to accompany them. While this isn’t unusual for theatre of this genre, it was somewhat odd to hear pre-recorded vocals on the backing tracks, especially as this proved such a stark contrast to the non-underscored scenes, highlighting the lack of depth among the 3 actors and their vocal abilities.
Protagonist Pierre Hanson-Johnson plays a brilliant little boy, and you could see that he had bundles of enthusiasm for his role. It is unfortunate that this was not given a more competent platform, as it was not as smoothly presented as possible. The same can be said for Ellie Mills’ set - a colourful creation of multi-faceted fun, where you can't predict what they may do with it next as the possibilities are endless. This is beautifully mirrored by the plot of the show and really shines a light on the power of imagination.
On an even more positive note, Sherry Coenen’s lighting design was great, and really transported us to each new location the stories provided. Alongside this is fellow creative department: puppetry. Brought to life by Maia Kirkman-Richards, these animated animals (and creatures of other forms) were by far the highlight of the hour.
This show was reviewed on the 7th December 2024 at the Trafalgar Theatre, London where it runs until the 5th January 2025. Tickets available here: Home | Charlie Cook's Favourite Book
Review written by Katie Anna McConnell
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Photo credit: Brian Roberts
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