A couple of months ago we wrote about the free film showings at The Scoop, in More London. Well, now the films are over, along with July’s music, but the festival’s still going on. During August, it’s finally time to pack away the projectors and bands, and bring out the theatre.
(Picture by Olivier Bruchez.)
This year there’s two shows, one aimed at adults and one at children. For adults, there’s Helen of Troy (the slightly eccentric Euripides version). This production takes the place of the originally-planned Grapes of Wrath, which had to be dropped due to funding problems; but Euripides’ Helen is fantastic, if very very odd, so the change sounds like a win for theatre. This production promises “bravery, illusion, heart-break, magic and laughter” — well, the “laughter” sounds a bit out-of-character for Greek tragedy, which is not traditionally known for its jokes, but it certainly sounds like a fun production, well worth going to see, particularly at the cost of zero pounds.
For children (though a lot of adults are going to be watching as well), it’s The Jungle Book. This version is based on the Disney animated movie rather than the sweet but less popular Kipling book, and it uses puppets to maintain the cartoonish glee of the original. Because it only runs for sixty minutes, it won’t tax children’s attention too much, but it does manage to keep all the most famous songs from the cartoon, in a frenzy of dance and music. On the 15th and 29th of August there’s even a post-show talk.
We’re still not convinced that “More London” is a sensible address, but given that The Scoop has been providing us with free films and music throughout summer, and shows no signs of stopping yet, it would be churlish to complain too hard.
Free Theatre at The Scoop: The Scoop, More London. 1 August - 9 September. Free.
