Moon Dragon

Aug 4 2024 | By Torya Hughes More

★★★★★ Perfectly pitched

LifeCare Centre (Venue 524): Thurs 1 – Sun 4, Mon 19/Tue 20 Aug 2024
Review by Torya Hughes

Combining puppetry, live music and interactive elements, Dragon Song Productions enchant their young audiences with a revamped version of their original Fringe hit, Moon Dragon, at the LifeCare Centre in Stockbridge.

The show is aimed mainly at preschoolers, and is a great introduction to the world of theatre for even the smallest baby. Performers Rachel Huggins and Corrina Hewat tell the story of Bertie, a dragon who is tasked with raising the moon into the sky each night. One night he falls asleep, and the audience are then enlisted to help wake him up and get him back to work.

Performers Corrina Hewat and Rachel Huggins. Pic: Dragon Song Productions

The plot may be very simple, but this is a show that is more about the sensory experience as a whole.

Each child is given a bag of props, with special bags for babies under one. They have the chance to join in with the performers when prompted. There are glowing lights, floaty scarves and noisy rainmakers. There’s even a magical moment when the adults in the room hold a star cloth parachute over the children, leaving them spellbound.

Huggins and Hewat are clearly experienced at working with young audiences, pitching the tone just right to hold their attention. The piece is woven with original songs, accompanied live on the keyboard and catchy enough for everyone to join in.

relaxed performance

Printed backdrops of a fantasy forest are lit well, and coloured LEDs delineate the performance space. Every show is a relaxed performance, and Huggins makes it clear at the start that the children are free to participate and move around as they need to, creating a lovely atmosphere.

Perhaps the only criticism is the relatively deep seating area on the floor, meaning that the children at the back are blocked by adults in front. However the performers bring the puppets out into the audience, ensuring that everyone gets a closer view.

The Dragon Song Trilogy stage at the LifeCare Centre. Pic: Dragon Song Productions.

The puppets themselves are really the stars of the show, created by Jane Phillips from felt and fabric. There’s Bertie himself, a rainbow unicorn in search of its tail, some cheeky frogs and a whole parliament of patchwork owls.

Moon Dragon is one of a trilogy of Dragon Song shows at the LifeCare Centre during the Fringe. In Sea Dragon, three Kelpies arrive on the reef for a play date only to find that the colour from the coral has all washed away. Kipper the Sea Dragon comes to the rescue but he can’t work alone…

In Ice Dragon, the third in the trilogy, four seasonal dragons come together to solve a mystery with the help of a badger, a rabbit and a fox. Each show has specific performance times for under-ones only.

This is theatre which is perfectly pitched for its young audience, and is an ideal introduction to music, song and storytelling.

Running time: 40 minutes (no interval)
LifeCare Centre, George Young Hall, 2 Cheyne St, EH4 1JB (Venue 524)
Thurs 1 – Sat 20 Aug 2024
Various times
Moon Dragon: Thurs 1 – Sun 4, Mon 19/Tue 20: tickets and details.
Ice Dragon: Mon 5 – Sun 11: tickets and details.
Sea Dragon: Mon 12, Wed 14 – Sun 18: tickets and details.