The Tiniest Frog Prince in the World

• Kelly Apter
• 7 August 2016

This article is from 2016

Puppetry, live animation and fun combine in this gentle show

Within minutes of this gentle show from Korea's Brush Theatre starting, you can see the look of confusion and worry passing over people's faces. The stage looks beautiful, with two characters dressed as a prince and princess, and a tiny, intricate set featuring puppet versions of themselves. But when they start delivering the dialogue, and it's in Korean, we're all wondering how we'll keep up.

It quickly transpires, there's no need for concern. The tale of the Princess and the Frog is so simple and well-known (witch turns prince into frog, princess kisses frog, frog becomes prince again) that following the storyline soon becomes effortless. Key words such as 'kiss' are translated into English, and the performers use their bodies and facial expressions to leave us in no doubt what they're feeling.

Adding an extra spark to all this is live capture animation which relays the tiny puppetry onto a large video screen. Whether the characters are playing in the colourful forest or swimming under the sea, the performers interact with the screen via clever props and devices. A few laughs from the Koreans in the audience suggest we might be missing out on a few things, but there's more than enough storytelling and visuals to keep us interested in any language.

C, until 29 Aug (not 15), 1.15pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£4.50–£8.50).