Paul T Davies reviews Apple 'N' Spice presented by Sanskruti at the Mercury Theatre Colchester.

Apple ‘N’ Spice.

Mercury Theatre, Colchester.

26 June 2022

4 Stars

Tour Information Bringing together Western and Eastern cultures, this gorgeous family show enchanted the audience at the Mercury Theatre. Sanskruti, a Cambridge based emerging South Asian dance company, have woven together the tales of Snow White, (Apple),  and Ramayana, (Spice),  together to create a new fairy tale, one which offers redemption to the “evil” step mothers and encourages its young audience to consider a kinder way of life. It’s a forty-five-minute show that captivated the children in the audience, all willing to go on stage with the actors and learn a dance in a safe, encouraging environment.

The show succeeds so well because of the simplicity of its story telling. The narration is spoken by a child, instantly connecting with its target audience, and the shadow puppetry is enchanting. The dance, Bharatanatyam ,  is superb, the beating of feet on the floor I found particularly impressive, and even older members of the audience such as myself were able to join in! It’s a successfully interactive piece that really encouraged participation in a gentle way, I left as the younger audience members were on stage colouring their feedback sheets!

It's a charming experience, and perhaps my only criticism is that, for me, the show is a little short. However, it may be just long enough for the younger viewers, all of whom had a great time being entertained by this talented company.

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