I Wish I Was a Mountain, egg at Theatre Royal, Bath

BATH-based poet and storyteller Toby Thompson “comes home” to perform his solo show, I Wish I Was a Mountain, on stage at the egg at the Theatre Royal until 30th Septem­ber.

Twenty-four year old Toby worked Front of House at the egg for ten years, so he says it’s like his second home, where director Kate Cross and the rest of the team have supported and inspired him.

The show, aimed at audiences aged six and older, starts as Toby wanders through Alice Park and notices a book of fairy tales left on a bench. Based on Hermann Hesse’s Faldum, it’s a story of what we human beings share, what differentiates us, and how we all have longings.

The set includes a piano, tape recorders and record players (which Toby has to explain to younger members of the audience) and stacking wooden houses, all in perfect place for him to tell his story.

It is the day of the Faldum fair and a wizard emerges from the forest, offering to grant everyone a wish. And it’s not until thousands of years later that the results finally unfold.

Blending conversation, rap, rhythm, rhyme and music, Toby’s engaging style and inventive approach takes everyone with him into the story, which delights younger members of the audience and intrigues the older listeners.  It runs for 45 minutes, so fidgeting is kept to a minimum.

The development of the show was crowd funded, and I’s sure all those who contributed must be delighted with the result. We’ll hear a lot more of Toby Thompson, and I’m looking forward to it already.

I Wish I Was a Mountain continues until 30th September at various times on the egg stage.

GP-W

 

I Wish I Was a Mountain will also be performed at Taunton Brewhouse on 1st November, as part of its regional tour.  Watch out for other dates.

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