James Haddrell reviews The Three Billy Goats Gruff at the Unicorn Theatre, London Bridge

We all know the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, right?

Three goats, a troll, “who’s that trip-trapping over my bridge” and a happy ending.

In theatre we love well known tales like that – from the regular panto tales that come around every Christmas to the more modern adaptations of popular books like The Tiger Who Came To Tea or The Gruffalo.

A well-known title is more likely to sell well, children are more likely to get excited about seeing the show, and parents know what they’re buying.

But in the case of old fairy tales like The Three Billy Goats Gruff, turning them into theatre isn’t as easy as it might appear.

Telling the story of the goats and their run-in with the ogre wouldn’t normally take more than five or 10 minutes – the perfect bedtime story length – so turning that into a full length show takes some thought.

Still, that is exactly what writing team George Stiles and Anthony Drewe have done in their stage version, currently being revived at the Unicorn Theatre at London Bridge, and the result is a triumph for ages five and up (with loads to enjoy for younger children too –though the ogre might be a bit scary for the newest theatregoers).

So, enter Little Bo Frilly, played by Tiajna Amayo.

Cousin to Little Bo Peep, clearly famous for endlessly losing her sheep, Frilly is in charge of the goats – with about as much success.

It hasn’t rained for ages so the grass is all drying up, and the goats (Big, Middle and Baby, played by Sam Pay, Samuel Tracy and Kanoumah Diguet) have decided that the grass on the other side of the bridge looks a lot greener (which offers us the moral of the story – get it?).

Frilly has been told not to let them stray that way because of the troll, but off they go anyway.

Cue the usual routine of goats passing over the bridge and each persuading the troll to wait for the next one, before a bit of troll folklore offers them a way to get rid of the troll for good.

The cast are charismatic and tell the story with real energy and delight.

The songs are catchy, with enough wry humour in the lyrics for the parents.

James Button’s set starts as a basic two-dimensional world but opens up in a lovely moment to reveal the bridge and the troll’s lair.

Stiles and Drewe have created the illusion that it’s easy to transform a folk tale into a show, and the result easily captivated the packed young audience for almost an hour.

Website:  https://www.unicorntheatre.com/events/the-three-billy-goats-gruff

 

 

Picture: The cast of The Three Billy Goats Gruff Picture: Helen Murray