Arabian Nights (tour)

Watching Story Pocket Theatre’s début production Arabian Nights is like being tucked up in bed on a stormy night and having your dad tell you a bedtime story; a very special moment. The company have put the art of storytelling at the heart of this piece and it interweaves magic with slapstick comedy and deliciously naughty humour.

As the audience walk in, a mischievous mute (Luke Pitman) greets them with waggling fingers, raspberries, mimed declarations of love and a rather nifty trick with some strawberry laces. Pitman acts as a Puck-like character called The Storyteller who invites the audience not to be afraid of the dark because there is always light in your imagination.

Pitman is extraordinary. He’s the imaginary friend you always wanted and has both children and adults peeling into giggles with his face (which we can only assume is made out of rubber) and full-throttle physical comedy.

Yasmin Goodwin and William Forde take on the roles of a storyteller Sherazade and her husband the Sultan, while also multi-rôling as various characters in Sherazade’s stories.

Forde comes into his own as Abanazar during the Aladdin tale and Goodwin keeps the show from descending into riotous abandon with her sweet nature. The set by Francine Huin-Wah is minimal but extremely beautiful with a giant bulb-like sculpture peeling away to reveal different layers and providing the suggestion of far off lands.

Similarly, the lighting creates a magical atmosphere and makes it seem as if Pitman is inviting the audience into a long forgotten secret. Julia Black and Forde’s direction keeps the piece at a consistent pace and they have clearly played to their actors' strengths allowing them to run wild.

Story Pocket Theatre have created a rare piece of children’s theatre. It not only delights children, but also takes adults back to a time when hearing a bedtime story was the best part of the day. It is fuel for the imagination with Pitman as the match that will ignite it.

Arabian Nights premiered at the Mill Studio, Guildford 6-8 March, tours regionally to 31 May and at the Edinburgh Fringe later this year.