A contemporary retelling of a classic Russian folktale with masks and shadow puppets: In this magical tale, a young girl ventures into the dark forest and encounters the terrifying Baba Yaga and her house on chicken legs. With her doll’s help, she must complete the tasks Baba Yaga sets for her or be turned into stew!
The New York Times called it "A tasty treat!"
Adapted and directed by Emily Davis
Puppets and masks by Shannon Harvey
Costumes by Roxana Ramseur
Lighting Design by Wendy Luedtke
Original Music by Dmitri Kalmar
Stage management by Stacy Conner
Produced by Agathe David-Weill
Little Girl Stew was performed at:
Access Theatre in New York City, Toronto Fringe Festival and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival
Performed by: Susana Harris, Nelson R. Lugo, Eleanor O’Brien and Chara Riegel
Play Outside Festival
Performed by: Snezhana Chernova, Meryl Ephraim, Alexandra Finger, Talaura Harms, Brian Padgett, Kay Wilson
JENNY REVUE
“Messenger Theatre delivers a pull-no-punches tale”
From CBC message boards – Winnipeg Fringe Festival
Posted: Jul 20 2004, 08:31 PM
The Adventures of Baba Yaga
There are two dangers in fairytale theatre. One is that if you go for the magic and wonder of these ancient tales you run the risk of creating something twee and phony that will particularly turn off children (like my nine year old) who are establishing identities for themselves as reasoning beings. The other is that if you try to appeal to the sensibilities of smart, self-aware kids (and their parents) by modernizing the language, mixing humour with the magical plots, combining the old-fashioned fairy story cadences with contemporary demotic language (a la Shrek and Shrek 2), you entertain at the expense of the soul of the traditional tale.
Somehow, Messenger Theater has found a way to avoid both pitfalls in a production that’s funny, current, timeless and enchanting, even for a sophisticated kid like my son (or a moderately sophisticated kid like his old man).
Add to that some incredible value for budget conscious Winnipeggers. This is a very professional show, combining puppetry, masks, shadow puppets, gorgeous costumes and flawless acting. For a mere eight bucks it compares favourably with many of the touring shows in the Manitoba Theatre for Young People season.
Bob Armstrong
kate Posted: Jul 23 2004, 11:51 AM
adventures of Baba Yaga rocked my kids’ worlds (they are 5 and 8)
JohnDHuston Posted: Jul 19 2004, 01:09 PM
ADVENTURES OF BABA YAGA
This is NOT just a kids’ show!! This is a wonderful telling of one of the Russian folk tales about the wisewoman/witch Baba Yaga, told in a variety of theatrical styles: shadow puppet, mask, and panto.
Folk tales touch on our deepest hopes and fears, our dreams and nightmares. This production provides a magical world where anything may be possible and that’s what theatre of any sort is for, isn’t it?
Oh yes, it’s also great for kids.