A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Theatre by the Lake
Puppetry Designer and Director
Directed by Gemma Fairlie
Set and Costume Design by Hannah Wolfe
Lighting Design by Ben Pickersgill
Production Photography by Robert Day
Patrick Barlow’s deconstructed and inventive take on the Dicken’s classic.
“No use trying to explain that tiny Tim is played by items of crockery and cutlery; this simply has to be seen to be believed.
There are many zany costume changes and marvellous voice switches, most notably when two of Bob Crachitt’s children appear as dinner plates. (Cousin Frederick’s five children are played by concertina’d paper cutouts but, again, only seeing is believing).”
STAGEYLADY.WORDPRESS.COM
“But how to cover the part of Tiny Tim? That’s where other skill comes forth as puppetry designer Matt Hutchinson presents the sickly child as a set of cups, his weak and scrawny legs represented by bits of cutlery. It turns the extraordinary into the believable.”
KESWICK REMINDER
“They are even puppeteers to create Tiny Tim and his siblings in the most amusing manner. Matt Hutchinson as the Puppetry Director and Designer deserves a mention, as there are some brilliant performances using objects to create characters.
To tell more would spoil the illusion- pure theatrical genius which had the theatre filled with laugher.”
CUMBRIA24.COM
“I do not wish to spoil what happens, but I will say this: Tiny Tim was worth the price of the ticket. Comic. Genius. Seriously.”
LANCASHIRELIFE.CO.UK
“…the genuinely heartbreaking creation of Tiny Tim. Made up from basic kitchen utensils, his little knife and spoon legs tottered across the dining table with a devastating effect that conjured up a pitiful sight and truly conveyed the miserable poverty suffered by so many in Victorian England.”
NUMBER9REVIEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM
“Why not, for instance, bring the exquisite comedy creation of the Tiny Tim character downstage and let everyone properly marvel at puppeteer Matt Hutchinson’s clever invention?
If he’s having anything to do with next year’s seasonal offering of The Borrowers, book a front stalls seat now.”
BRITISHTHEATREGUIDE.INFO