MICHAEL Rosen’s latest play may be inspired by Shakespeare’s final masterpiece The Tempest, but its very young audience won’t need a GSCE in English Lit to enjoy it.
The acclaimed children’s novelist and the Little Angel Theatre Company tell the story of Prospero’s granddaughter Isabella who is magically transported to the Bard’s mythical island after her mother Miranda tells her a bedtime story.
There, she meets the land's magical inhabitants Ariel and the monstrous Caliban, who both long to mend Prospero's broken magic staff and seize his power.
Hope springs with the arrival of our young heroine, but all she desires is a white Christmas.
Using both actors and puppets, all the magic and mystical energy of Shakespeare’s masterpiece has been carefully extracted and injected into a new story told entirely using puppets.
Rosen's play may be a child-friendly sequel to The Tempest, but the former Children's Laureate is not afraid to tackle some of the darker themes Shakespeare tried to explore, including colonialism, slavery and misuse of power.
But it's all done from the innocent point of view of a child and is a wonderfully whimsical piece of theatre, guaranteed to cast a spell on any kid and possibly a few parents as well.
The Magician’s Daughter runs at The Albany in Douglas Way until Christmas Eve. To book tickets and for information, call 020 8692 4446 or visit thealbany.org.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here