Northern Arts Review, Sophie Dodworth
Back at The Crucible Theatre for another go at entertaining Sheffield families are Ensemble 360 and the wonderful Lucy Drever. With just a day this time at The Crucible, but after the success and rave reviews of The Giddy Goat, they are becoming quite the regulars with a crowd of returning little fans. If you listen closely, you can hear some of the whispers of ‘oh I can remember that lady from last time’ and many enthusiastically waiting to hear the Hello Song once again.
…
As with all the Ensemble 360 productions, there is a structure to the magical formula, the audience are first given the tools and encouragement to be able to sing and sign along to the songs that will be included in the story during the last part of the show. The delivery of this is appropriately slow, with repetitions and supportive praise each step of the way. The audience can then enjoy being able to join in with the story to finish off the show.
“This production is a solid way to introduce children to orchestral music and authentic instruments… for Ensemble 360 to provide this series of introduction to the purest of music is a very welcome and significant piece of theatre.”
Lucy Drever is perfect to narrate and host these sixty minutes of entertainment. She is animated and presents the piece with emotions in all the relevant places. She is engaging throughout with the ability to bring the kids back in when their minds start to wander to what’s for lunch or what snack is next. She uses a simple technique, and it seems to be so effective, leaving parents plotting their use of it later at home…
Ensemble 360 has some wonderful talent in there, not just in the way of being able to play their instrument of choice so well, but they also help Lucy along with the interactive audience participation. There is a section where the crowd is encouraged to paint with their imaginary paint brushes, the musicians join in, and you are drawn to the French Horn musician, Naomi, she creates something almost tangible with the stroking of her ‘brush’ on to her canvas.
“A fun-filled hour, jam-packed with entertainment for everyone, interactive and educational in many ways, you may leave with a little more knowledge of sign language or an eagerness to further research some of the composers you have had the pleasure of listening to.”
