When I told my six year old daughter that we were going to see an opera, she asked: “Does that mean we’re posh?” This is precisely why it’s important for companies like Opera North to create imaginative and accessible work for young people, and it’s also crucial that we parents expose our children to different styles of music to help overcome their preconceptions.
Cautionary Tales, a music theatre for naughty children, hits the spot perfectly. Aimed at five year olds and above (and their families), and lasting about an hour, this adaptation of Hilaire Belloc’s verses features memorable characters whose unruly behaviour is cautioned in humorously gruesome ways.
The four performers played a variety of roles between them, and from the very start, they managed to hold the attention of every single mischievous minor in the audience. As they walked towards the stage, dressed in creepy white masks with intimidating black cloaks (hangman style), the four cautioners rebuked a few of the children in the audience, with a “Tut! Tut! Tut!” here and a sudden “Boo!” there. Although my child wasn’t one of those that burst into tears at this point, she did bruise my arm from holding onto it so tightly!
When we first took our seats, there were four desks already set up on the stage – you know the ones from the good old days that opened up so you could store your things inside. These were propped open and we could see each one had been inscribed on the inside, including one which read “RIP Matilda who lied”. I needn’t have worried about explaining the concept of RIP to my daughter. If anything, I realised how much we underestimate our children’s ability to grasp the things that us grown-ups dread explaining to them – like death. As each gripping tale unfolded and yet another naughty child met a fittingly gruesome end, it was my daughter that was whispering the plot in my ear!
Cautionary Tales is one of the most imaginative, innovative, playful and melodiously unforgettable productions we’ve seen for a long time. It’s a wonderfully wicked introduction to opera and your children, whether naughty or not, will absolutely love it. They’ll be talking about the colourful characters like lying Matilda and string-eating Harry King for weeks afterwards. And if you don’t believe me, this review by @philkirby will definitely sway you.
You can catch Opera North’s Cautionary Tales at:
Tue 20th March, Queen’s Hall, Hexham
Sat 24th March, Thoresby Riding Hall, Newark
Tue 27th & Wed 28th March, Square Chapel, Halifax
@irnaqureshi blogs about being British, Pakistani, Muslim and female in Bradford, against a backdrop of classic Indian films at www.bollywoodinbritain.wordpress.com