Sponsored by
Giddy Goat, Octagon, Sheffield, December 7, 2008
As hundreds of mums, dads, grannies and granddads chivvied hoards of babbling, bubbling pre-schoolers, toddlers and early primary schoolers into the large Western Bank Octagon, Giddy Goat got ready to perform. But would this likeable little goat really be able to charm, captivate and quell even the most hyperactive of these tots, accompanied by the most over-indulgent of laissez-faire parents? This giddy kid would have to be good!
Giddy Goat certainly found a warm, friendly narrator in Polly Ives, who tells this humorous, heart-rending little tale of conquered fears and firm friendship with the right blend of enthusiasm and authority and with sufficient interactive good humour to have the kiddies keenly joining in when the time comes.
A bright backdrop of enchanting illustrations provides a beautiful, cartoon-style entertainment as the story unfolds, while the rich, decorative royal icing is piped onto this rhythmic cake by Ensemble 360.
Children nowadays, of course, are used to hearing background music when watching cartoons, films or TV, yet, just as fewer and fewer youngsters of today realise that milk comes from cows, and potato chips start out as leafy plants, they are likewise unaware that all those delicious strands of music that so often delight their ears are actually being blown, plucked, stroked, struck and coaxed from all manner of instruments, instruments they don't even know exist.
Parading their highly-honed skills through the auditorium before entertaining on stage, our eleven multi-national, top-notch musicians are individually introduced. Surely, some of these youngsters (whether wriggling or still) now experience for the very first time a special frisson of musical joy. Maybe it's the bubbling bassoon that grabs them, the clarion call of the horn, two hearty fistfuls of piano chords, the cello, bass, violin, viola or floating flute, or maybe it's just the overall life-enhancing fun of music in general. Ensemble 360 perform for the tots with as much relish and panache as they show for any grander opus, while the score for Giddy Goat provides scope for some very catchy playing, the wearing of baseball caps and even a wee sing-along. The musicians are around before and after the performance, too, available for anyone who can't wait for more.
All in all, Giddy Goat is a delightful little 45 minute package. I kid you not!
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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