Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Daniel Jones, Lucie Rice, Sally Smithson.
Scarlett’s Secret Snowglobe is written and performed by the one of the smaller scale theatre companies that has made Liverpool home. With the three members of the collective, Daniel Jones, Lucie Rice and Sally Smithson having enjoyed the hospitality of the city, they have given back in spades and in this latest production prove more than ever that all theatre is necessary, especially if it is able to grab younger visitors to the theatre with a poignant message of hope and redemption.
With the use of great shadow work, a very good and original story line and some very brilliant songs being included in the performance, there is more than enough going on to keep the whole audience interested. What is striking about the piece is how effective and certain the play is about itself. The three members of the troupe capture the right balance of imagination needed to make this a play which cannot be helped but to love.
The three actors on stage have poured their souls into bringing this charming piece of writing to the theatre. Not just aimed at children, the message that the threesome deliver is sharp, well observation of 21st century obsession of having it all and not giving anything back. The true spirit of the Christmas season is soon apparent as Scarlett realises that her demands for more and more presents, each year bigger and better than the last, has driven her parents to near bankruptcy. The way in which Sally Smithson manages to portray the young girl’s change of heart is both heart-warming and generous.
Scarlett’s Secret Snowglobe is a very good piece of theatre that proves that excellent productions come in all shapes and sizes and also work superbly when done as a collective piece. No matter if you have a small family; this is excellent work to introduce anybody to the world of theatre life. Take A Hint Theatre will be aiming even higher next year of that there can be no doubt.
Ian D. Hall.