Michael Mopurgo is the flavour of the month, His epic The War Horse is now known worldwide while his The Butterfly Lion is holding Malvern audience’s spellbound in a splendid production by Daniel Buckroyd.
The play catches perfectly the sentiments of hope, courage and compassion which lie at the heart of this story of a boy who befriends a lion.
Using puppetry, nicely-shaped movement and an evocative score, the play takes us from the African veldt (where the boy, Bertie and the white lion cub first meet) to the battlefields in France during the First World War and then, as time moves on and the boy becomes a man, to the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, where the white lion’s image is carved on a hillside so that he will be remembered in perpetuity.
So many of the scenes in this magical evening are filled with a special poignancy that is hard to choose between them. But without spoiling the surprises and the clever theatrical business which enrich the production, it is possible to mention the moments in war-torn France, where Bertie (now a serving soldier who wins the George Cross for gallantry) discovers the lion in what remains of a touring circus.
The lion embraces the man who has remained true to him and their love as they wrestle and hug each other is certain to bring an unashamed lump to the throat.
And a special mention here of Christopher Hogben, who turns in a masterful cameo as the French cafe proprietor who sends Bertie in the right direction as he searches for the lion.
In what is his debut performance, Adam Buchanan as Bertie was superb as was every member of the cast. Not surprisingly this performance held the many children around me in thrall, and is up for a TMA (Theatre Managers Award) this autumn.
Runs until Saturday.
