Coiscéim Dance Theatre presents The Wolf and Peter- Draíocht Blanchardstown/ Pavilion Theatre Dún Laoghaire – Review by Beatrice O’Connell

Celebrating 20 years of exciting dance productions the multi award winning Coiscéim bring their first ever production for families to the stage.

In re-imagining the classic tale of Prokofiev’s ‘Peter and the Wolf’ Coiscéim’s new production is seen through the eyes of the WOLF!  This highly creative piece features five exceptional dancers and terrific live music.  Prokofiev’s original is one of the most famous pieces of music ever written, designed to introduce children to music and the orchestra. It was performed in Dublin as early as 1942.

All children can relate to Peter’s boring routine under the strict roof of his grandfather’s house. He longs to escape to the freedom of the forest and to the adventures that await him there. Peter finds himself in new territory where he meets Bird, Duck, Cat and of course the menacing Wolf. What will happen to Peter now as he wanders further into this wild realm?

The stage set has the quality of a Bridget Riley painting brought to life, with the green columns providing a place for the characters to hide and reveal themselves in glowing pools of light like a glade deep in the forest. The choreography and original score add new layers of warmth and humour to the original. ‘The Wolf and Peter’ has turned the story on its head literally with the streetwise Wolf delighting the audience with his break-dance hip hop stylings. My nine year old was very taken with the charming duck and his funny costume and the spoilt antics of the cat. ‘The Wolf and Peter’ received a well deserved standing ovation the night we were there. This piece is very accessible and engaging and hopefully should open new audiences to the world of modern dance theatre.

The Wolf and Peter only runs until the 5th November (which is a pity).

DIRECTION & CHOREOGRAPHY by David Bolger

SET & COSTUME DESIGN by Monica Frawley

LIGHTING by Sinead Mckenna

SOUND by Ivan Birthistle & Vincent Doherty

COMPOSITION by Sergei Prokofiev

ADDITIONAL COMPOSITION & PIANIST Conor Linehan

CAST Wojciech Grudziński, Ivonne Kalter, Conor Linehan, Jonathan Mitchell, Emma O’Kane and Mateusz Szczerek