“You need to be a big girl now, and don't be away with the fairies.”
Collapsing Horse presents an enchanting, aesthetically beautiful and highly entertaining exploration of one child's determination to cling tight to her childlike sense of fun while everyone around her is playing “taxes” and becoming “more grown up”. Inspired by W.B. Yeats’s ‘The Stolen Child’, Human Child, written and directed by Dan Colley, draws from Irish changeling mythology to tell the story of Lelia’s struggle to remain true to herself in a world that wants her to be someone else, and her venture into a world where she is finally appreciated, using puppetry, live music and a magnificent set to bring magic and wonder into Smock Alley Theatre.
Upon entering the theatre, we are greeted by a live musician on the edge of the stage, quietly working away as she picks up a variety of instruments and continues to add to the loop of the soundtrack. The set, designed by Zia Holly, is minimalist, consisting of a white and green painted wooden bedframe, two wooden chests, and two coatstands on either side of the stage, holding assorted hats, coats and scarves. Little do we know how intricate this masterfully designed yet seemingly simple set is, and how it, in conjunction with Holly's impressive lighting design, will be transformed into the magical and imaginative land of the fairies. Lelia's one-sheet bedroom fort becomes an expansive, patched-together canopy of innocent blues; coloured fabrics have infinite narrative uses, and swift scenery transitions are expertly undertaken by the performers. Similarly, costume and character changes are conducted onstage and are intermingled with the running of the play, in true Brechtian style. Liadain Kaminska’s designs in the ‘real world’ allow for one or two simple items to be added or removed to effect a change of character, and her fairy hats in particular are emblematic of the naturalness and playfulness of the fairies.
The music, composed by Tom Lane, is bewitching and memorable, and plays an important role with the audience as they are taught a melody at the opening of the play which they will then be invited to sing during the performance. Even more impressive is the musicality of the performers (Manus Halligan, John Doran, Megan Riordan, and Aoife Leonard), each playing a range of instruments while maintaining beautiful vocal harmonies. Aaron Heffernan’s skillful puppet design allows actors like John Doran to really show their versatility, while the haunting image of the changeling adds an element of fear and excitement to the piece.
Colley uses many techniques to effectively make this a thoroughly enjoyable and artistic piece of theatre, borrowing from Brechtian and Pantomimic tradition and creating vibrant and ever-evolving images on stage. We see Lelia leaning towards the eerie blue lighting to the right of the stage every time she is asked to do something sensible like going to school, enticed by the fairies' chants, the magic of which is symbolised by a flutter of feathers. Aoife Leonard’s innocence, energy, and comedic ability as Lelia make her a convincing and charming protagonist, while the skill, comedic ability, musical talent and versatility of Manus Halligan, John Doran and Megan Riordan allow them to shine as actors, always fun and inviting, and never patronising.
Despite the production being billed as suitable for audiences of 8+, there were only two or three children attending this performance - but its effect on the adult audience members was significant. It is impossible to walk out from this highly sophisticated piece of theatre without a smile on your face. We walk into the theatre as adults, or as representatives of the monotony of everyday life, with its taxes and “important business meetings”. We leave as the child we have long left behind.
Helen Cusack has a BA in Drama Studies and Masters in Children's Literature from Trinity College Dublin.