Wizard Presents invites audiences of all sizes to the second run of I Believe in Unicorns, a captivating narrative about the power of stories, at the Vaudeville Theatre. The show is presented as the ultimate story time, with company director and performer Danyah Miller engaging with audience members in character before the show begins. Spectators file in and seat themselves before a lit stage, exposing a set of precariously stacked books that have yet to unleash the magnificent wonder bound within.

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Miller commands the stage as the village librarian, better known as the Unicorn Lady, as she playfully leaps and dashes across the scene, re-enacting her tales and assuming the voices of all the different characters in her stories. The delicately layered plot, adapted from the children’s novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo, is driven by the fantastic and inventive use of props, where each aid to the Unicorn Lady’s storytelling quite literally comes from a book. The most spellbinding effects involve light projections and the clever use of screens, both of which are spectacularly employed to convey the climactic scene riddled with burning houses.

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The show is engaging and interactive, with constant audience participation, even including an improv segment built upon suggestions from the crowd. Morpurgo’s story-weaving results in a sophisticated children’s classic that posits the harsh realities of war against the empowering transformative ability of stories, and the extraordinary magic of the imagination. Most importantly, the play offers a more pertinent message to the generation of tomorrow (about the value of reading, storytelling, thinking and asking questions) than the majority of children’s entertainment today.

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Although I Believe in Unicorns doesn’t induce sidesplitting bouts of laughter among the kids, Miller’s storytelling certainly maintains their interest, awe and excitement, evidenced by the quiet and stillness in the audience. The show is absolutely enchanting for all ages – a call to believe in mythical creatures that holds grown-up appeal, but also allows adults to regress to childhood delights.

 

 

 

Verdict: ★★★★★

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Dates: 1st - 30th August 2015

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Watch actress Danyah Miller create a spontaneous story with the audience here

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