Three Billy Goats Gruff - Courtyard, Hereford (From Hereford Times)

Three Billy Goats Gruff - Courtyard, Hereford

9:25pm Sunday 12th February 2012 in Reviews By Andrew Doyle

THE innate fascination with Three Billy Goats Gruff spans the generations.

Scandinavian in origin, it is one of those stories woven so tightly within the fabric of our own folklore it almost feels like it’s etched into our psyche from birth - a bit like Cinderella.

It’s already second nature to my children, aged three and five, and this beautifully inventive dramatisation, combining gentle music, ingenious puppets and spellbinding storytelling hit the spot as far as they were concerned.

Iklooshar Malara, of Garlic Theatre, in a magical one-woman show, captivated her young audience with a thoughtful and humorous take on the tale.

There was a Muppet-like quality to the troll character, who in this version actually turned out to be the most hard done by out of all the characters we met, forced to try his luck with the three goats out of sheer desperation, as the naughty townsfolk had polluted the river under his bridge with garbage and killed all the fish.

My two felt heartily sorry for him when he was tossed in the river by the biggest goat. So it’s just as well this production has an enhanced happy ending

Using cleverly crafted stick puppets built around a traditional goat’s bell to represent the billy goats Iklooshar drew laughs, shouts and song from the audience.

The set design is simple but highly effective and the atmospheric soundtrack - arranged by Iklooshar, is augmented by her own accordion and voice.

It’s a really fine introduction to the theatrical experience for those aged around three to six years.