‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine,’ decrees the troll dictator, who bellows instructions to the little troll keeping watch over the luscious grass annexed from their neighbours, the goats.
But it’s been a long year and the three goats now have hungry bellies. The only solution is to face their fears and cross the bridge.
Trouble is the little troll is doing a good job of appearing frightening in a huge troll costume – a wonderful papier-mâché creation – and they are effectively duped.
Still, needs must and surely they can rise to the challenge. After all, they do have some distracting tricks to perform: the eldest goat can juggle, the youngest can do acrobatics, and the third can even do trapeze.
Will the little troll waver? Just because the dictator says that the goats should go back to where they come from, is that fair? Is it true that the goats will eat up all the grass and there will be nothing left to share? Can’t they forget about their borders and just get along?
Created by Kaveh Rahnama, writer and director of last year’s heart-warming adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk, there’s a similar blend of storytelling with circus skills in this gently relevant adaptation of the fairytale.
The set has oodles of rustic charm: wooden ladders, barrels and winsome lighting flickering over folds of green material conjure the impression of a natural idyll.
The show starts with some pleasing interaction as the goats nibble at delighted audience members. The bouncy rope-trapeze act is especially impressive. Some neon juggling adds magic, and the acrobatic display has urban edge.
There’s little that’s Christmassy in this story or production though – the grass can only be this juicy in springtime, after all – and having the goats talk wistfully about how much they love the festive season isn’t quite enough.
Aimed at the over 3s, the appearance of the hideous huge troll certainly elicited a few shrieks from the youngest audience members. Overall, circus skills and folk tales make for a perfect combination and the message couldn’t be timelier.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff runs at Jacksons Lane, Highgate until January 7.
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