Beautiful storytelling in action...stunningly performed by Alison Reid
THE GUARDIAN
AN ELEPHANT IN THE GARDEN
by
MICHAEL MORPURGO
adapted & directed by Simon Reade
performed by Alison Reid
This is a poignant, imaginative production that is both thought provoking, entertaining and totally engaging
BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
....discover the magic that only live theatre can offer
24/7
AN ELEPHANT IN THE GARDEN
Edinburgh Festival 2018 **** (nominated for THEATRICAL EXCELLENCE - The Infallibles)
2021 NEWS....
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An Elephant in the Garden
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★★★★
‘Thought-provoking storytelling at its best.’
THE WEE REVIEW
★★★★
‘Thought-provoking, engaging and utterly plausible … combines simplicity with beautiful storytelling, which will have you captivated – its final scene moved me to goosebumps with its conclusion that our protagonists will live happily ever after.’
THE LIST
‘Commanding a stage all by yourself, and never letting go of the hold you have over your audience is no mean feat. But Reid takes us by the hand to war-torn Germany and back with such assurance, there’s never any question of her losing us.’
EDINBURGH FRINGE 2018
"the play is fantastically performed and Alison Reid deserves full credit for invoking the audience’s imagination and transporting them back to a war-torn Germany"
Exeter Express & Echo
Since 2015 we have toured to....
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Byham Theatre, Pittsburgh USA 2020
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre 2018/2019
Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol 2015/2018
Vault Festival, London
the egg, Bath Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Bury St. Edmunds
Bristol Old Vic Studio
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Plough Arts Centre
Theatre Royal, Winchester
Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton
Forum Theatre, Malvern
Corn Exchange, Newbury
Pavillion Arts Centre, Buxton
The Dukes Playhouse, Lancaster
Exeter Phoenix Theatre
Lincoln Performing Arts Centre
Pegasus Theatre, Oxford
Old Town Hall Arts Centre, Hemel Hempstead
Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis
1532 Performing Arts Centre, Bristol
The Corn Exchange, Dorchester
Strike-A-light Theatre Festival, Gloucester
Broadway Theatre, Letchworth
Rhodes Arts Complex, Bishop's Stortford
Wilde Theatre, South Hill Arts Centre, Bracknell
Alison Reid has worked extensively as an actress at the RSC, for Filter Theatre, at Bristol Old Vic, Tobacco Factory Theatres and at the National Theatre where she premiered Michael Morpurgo's JoJo The Melon Donkey.
She regularly performs with Michael in
The Mozart Question.
DESIGNER MAX JOHNS
LIGHTING MATTHEW GRAHAM
COSTUMES ELIZABETH DE-TISI
SOUND JASON BARNES
PRESS
"...the play is fantastically performed and Alison Reid deserves full credit for invoking the audience’s imagination and transporting them back to a war-torn Germany"
Exeter Express & Echo
"This is masterful storytelling by all concerned and a gem of a standout performance"
StageTalk Magazine
"...with the aid of just a handful of props and a beautifully judged sound and light scheme, Reid conjures up a plethora of interacting characters. In a bravura performance, she populates the stage with Canadian airmen and German farmers, each with their own distinct personality and presence. At times she even gives us a very believable elephant.
Meanwhile, she also keeps the story going at a pace fast enough to grip even the younger and more distractable audience members. At a little over an hour, An Elephant in the Garden is just the right length to engage its youthful target audience. It's also a perfect opportunity for them to discover the magic that only live theatre can offer: the ability to suspend disbelief and allow an actor to play on your imagination, conjuring up worlds out of thin air."
Bristol 24/7
"In this impressive solo performance, Alison Reid is simply superb as she brings all of these characters to life in a true master acting class that demands our admiration.
She seemingly effortlessly creates the individuals that she meets on this endless journey, each one carefully portrayed with appropriate accents and physicality including Peter, a Canadian navigator who was shot down, as well as a group of choirboys who are on the run and the Countess who protects them all from the Nazis.
Not forgetting the plodding, obstinate, dogged four-year-old elephant Marlene who epitomises the very determination of the human spirit to survive despite all the odds.
Although a play for children, this is very much a story of the horrors and pain of war and love and does not shy away from these issues.
It also is a story of our present time with homeless, starving refugees seeking a new life and walls being built and politics and politicians determined to keep them out and yet there is dogged hope that all will in the end be well.
It is astutely directed by Simon Reade, with a simple set comprising a circular floor cloth in the centre of the stage and a crumbling wall designed by Max Johns.
Mathew Graham’s ever-changing lighting helps to create the various scenes and Jason Barnes’s subtle sound design creates a vibrant atmosphere.
This is a poignant, imaginative production that is both thought provoking, entertaining and totally engaging."
BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
“Beautiful storytelling in action can be found in Poonamallee Production’s play of Michael Morpurgo’s An Elephant in the Garden, adapted and directed by Simon Reade and stunningly performed by Alison Reid.” The Guardian
Michael Morpurgo is the multi-award winning author of well over 100 books including War Horse, Private Peaceful and Kensuke’s Kingdom.
An Elephant in the Garden is the new adaptation by Simon Reade from Michael Morpurgo’s bestselling children’s novel following their previous collaborations on Michael’s war stories Toro! Toro!, The Mozart Question and the critically acclaimed 5 star hit theatrical touring phenomenon Private Peaceful.
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