A UNIQUE retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale ‘The Tinderbox’ from Norwich Puppet Theatre is set to entertain audiences at Helmsley Arts Centre this half-term holiday.
Norwich Puppet Theatre breathes new life into Andersen’s classic tale of magic, bravery and love with a combination of puppetry, animation and music.
The tale follows a roguish soldier who acquires a magic tinderbox which gives him the power to summon three extraordinary dogs to do his bidding. The soldier embarks on a remarkable roller coaster adventure from rags to riches and back again as he tries to win the love of the beautiful princess.
One of Hans Christian Andersen’s least known and most original tales, the hero of the story is not your average fairytale Prince.
Director Joy Haynes, said: "The hero is flawed, he makes poor decisions, he gets things wrong; it is his journey through ups and down which shapes the story.”
The show’s inventive design combines an ingenious rotating set, animation, and a host of puppets including rod, shadow, glove and humanettes. The design and puppet characters contain little tricks and references to the original tale. The money obsessed soldier’s body is also a money box and Rustle the magical dog has eyes literally as big as teacups.
‘The Tinderbox’ is full of fun and excitement guaranteed to captivate children and families on Friday, February 24, at Helmsley Arts Centre.
In addition to The Tinderbox performance, Norwich Puppet Theatre are also running a Puppet Making workshop at the Arts Centre, which is for children aged five -12 to come along and let their imaginations run wild. They get the opportunity to make and customise their very own puppet that they can then take home and make their very own stories with. For a combined price of £11 children can attend both the workshop in the morning and The Tinderbox show an hour later.
On Wednesday, February 22 at 2.30pm there is also a screening of Disney’s latest animated film, ‘Moana’. This Oscar nominated film shows an adventurous teenager sailing out on a daring mission to save her people and meeting the once-mighty demigod Maui along the way. It is a story of impossible odds, self-discovery and enormous monsters!
For more information phone 01439 771700 or visit the website at wwww.helmsleyarts.co.uk
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