Deep in the middle of the concrete jungle that is the South Bank centre is a little family show that deserves to get noticed this Christmas. Black Beauty is an absolutely charming, fun and inventive reimagining of Anna Sewell's 1877 novel for today's young children. It has a strong nostalgic feel with its use of the seventies TV series theme tune, a 1950's looking hard back edition of the novel and an absence of mobile phones which parents and grandparents will enjoy. It evokes memories of animated Jackanory story tellers and playtime retelling and acting out of well known tales as children. But is aimed at a young audience of five to ten year olds and judging by the response from the audience it lands very well with both the young and old alike.
The storytelling is done by a pair of out of work Pantomime horse performers, Big Andy and Wee Andy (the back end of Hamish the horse) stranded in an M25 layby with their horsebox awaiting a call on the emergency phone with offers of work. Their car boot sale prompts memories of their mum and her possessions trigger the retelling of some of the dramatic Black Beauty scenes and the characters the horse meets in his life. It is all very creatively reimagined using the horse box and a few props with a delightful gentle humour that leaves you grinning with pleasure.
