March 15, 2006
By Shamin Chibba
FRESHLY baked and still warm from the oven, the Gingerbread Man sneezes to life as Miss Pepper sprinkles her spice on his nose. Excitedly he jumps and skips into the air in celebration of his newfound life.
Turning to the audience and extending his arm, he blares a hello.
The musical adaptation of The Gingerbread Man, created by acclaimed children's playwright David Wood, is on at the People's Theatre, at the Civic, until 22 April.
With Smarties to button up his jacket, the Gingerbread Man is a delight to watch for children and adults alike. Joining him on his adventures are his friends Mr Salt, Herr von Cuckoo the Clock, Miss Pepper and The Old Tea Bag.
The cast of the musical The Gingerbread Man at the People's Theatre
The cast moves the story along superbly and the characters' interaction with the audience adds a special intimacy to the play. The actors prompt the audience to throw imaginary objects on to the stage, such as pepper and sweets, and they are encouraged to sing and shout.
The tale begins with Herr von Cuckoo, played by Hein van Zyl, yodeling groggily to wake Miss Pepper (Tarryn Bennet) and Mr Salt (Eugene Carstens). They stumble upon a freshly baked gingerbread man who, once alive, brings new adventures to the kitchen. Johnny Klein plays the title role.
Along the way they meet the miserable Old Tea Bag, brilliantly acted by Ntsepa Pitjeng, search for a cure for the cuckoo bird's sore throat, hide from the "Big Ones" and try to escape the clutches of the hungry gangster Sleek the Mouse, wonderfully played by Ryan Flynn.
The costumes, especially that of Salt's bulky shaker, add to the magic and the set design is well crafted. The score includes a variety of older pop songs familiar to the adults in the audience, and the dance sequences are reminiscent of classic Disney movies where inanimate objects come to life in song and dance.
As with all children's stories, valuable life lessons are learned in the play, such as punishment comes to those who steal and people should work together to help those in need.
The People's Theatre focuses on plays based on popular children's characters and in June it presents another David Wood production. More Adventures of Noddy will warm the winter nights for families looking for good, wholesome entertainment.
Tickets are R75, R40 for Kid's Club members and R55 for anyone accompanying them and can be booked at Computicket on 011 340 8000 or through the Computicket website. For further details contact the People's Theatre on 011 403 1563 or on 011 403 2340.
For more information about the play, contact Thuli on 011 442 2446 or Vanessa on 011 403 1234.
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