DR SEUSS’S THE LORAX (Old Vic)****

 

By Alba

Link: https://www.oldvictheatre.com/whats-on/2021/old-vic-in-camera/dr-seusss-the-lorax

Available until: Thursday 15^th April at 7pm. Friday 16^th April and Saturday 17^th April at 3pm and 7pm.

The Lorax is an American children’s story by a guy called Dr Seuss. I asked Megan about him because she’s read everything. She has even read Shakespear and Jane Austin. But she says she’s never read Dr Seuss. That shows there are always good writers you haven’t read yet even if your Megan.

The Lorax is an important story. It’s all about looking after trees. My friend Kai knows all about trees. He says they help animals and people too. I can’t remember what else he said because I think I forgot to listen but I bet he was right.

It’s about a guy called the Once-ler (weard name) who cuts down a Truffula tree to make a really weard pink thing called a Thneed which is like a blanket you can use for anything. I wouldn’t buy it but the world is full of idiots. Then this cuddly animal called the Lorax comes along and tells Once-ler cutting down trees is bad. Once-ler agrees at first but then some idiot comes along and he wants to buy the thneed. Once-ler is an idiot too so he sells it for like 3.99 but then he sets up his own factory and gives all his family jobs working there. I wouldn’t want my family working for me. Going to work is how grownups get away from there family. Money is good too but if it was all about money why do volintry jobs exist?

The Lorax finds all the trees that have been cut down and he’s really hacked off (I wrote a different word beginning with p but they made me change it) and the rest of the play is like a big fight like Money v Trees. I wish money did grow on trees that would solve all there problems and I would be able to buy more chocolate.

David Grieg turned the book into a play. He has got lots of people doing narrator stuff and that can be a total cheat but it works and kids like it so I’ll let him off. It has some good characters. Charlie Fink does the music and lyrics and they are good. It has got some proper tunes and the rhymes are mostly sensible.

Max Webster is the director. Everything looks good and there are lots of clever filming tricks so you can see everyone at once and sometimes you see them twice. But I really hope the cast is in a bubble. There is a bit of social distancing but some of them look a bit too close together. The puppet people are very clever but I think only one of them talks so the others need to wear masks! It would be awful if someone got COVID because then they would have to cancel the show and it is live and there would be lots of very sad children who wanted to see The Lorax and lots of very sad adults who don’t get a 2 hour break from their kids. I hope they recorded it that would be the sensible thing to do.

Bec Chippendale and Rob Howell did all the sets. They are clever and colourful. I didn’t notice them getting cleaned but maybe that is done out of shot. Drew McOnie is the choreographer and the dancing is really good and it looks fun to do. Finn Caldwell for Gyre and Gimble (Megan says that’s from a poem called jabber wacky) is the puppet director and designer. Lorax is a really nice puppet. He looks cuddly and really nice and his beard is funny. The Old Vic should get an online shop and sell cuddly Loraxes. I bet they would make lots of money to help them till they open again.

I like the cast. Jamael Westman plays the Once-ler and I quite liked him even when he was being an idiot. David Ricardo-Pearce is the puppet man who does the Lorax’s voice and I think the way he talks and moves is really good. He can sing too. There are loads of storytellers and I’ve heard of 2 of them. Chanelle Anthony was in Aladdin and her middle name is Jasmine and she got to do some really epick dance moves in The Lorax and she was good at telling the story and playing different characters. Melanie La Barrie is a big West End star but she wasn’t in Aladdin. There’s one bit where she does a big song. You wouldn’t usually do a song like that in a kid’s show. Its usually just like nursery rhymes and rubbish like that but this song is epick. It is really good that the Old Vic bothered to cast good people and didn’t just say there only kids lets get the cheap people in they wont know the difference. WE DO KNOW. This cast has class.

The Lorax is good. I think teachers should put on plays instead of just talking at us because it’s much more fun learning from plays like The Lorax than boring teachers.