Show: Jonny Feathers the Rock and Roll Pigeon
Society: Park Theatre (professional)
Venue: Park Theatre. Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP
Credits: By Martin Murphy
Type: Sardines
Author: Chris Abbott
Performance Date: 29/07/2022
Jonny Feathers the Rock and Roll Pigeon
Chris Abbott | 30 Jul 2022 17:19pm
Aimed at families but with a particular focus on 4-8 year olds, this was an inventive, entertaining and nicely judged 50 minute show, performed by an excellent cast and enhanced by some inventive puppetry. Martin Murphy’s script for Jonny Feathers the Rock and Roll Pigeon has a clear story arc about a lost guitar, some deft characterisation and provides opportunities for cast and director Matt Borgatti alike.
We are greeted by the cast as Roadies, who go on to explain their role and welcome us to their rock and roll concert. They even stamp our hands, as at all the big music events, and this is a clever way for a cast member to make personal contact with everyone in the audience. With a cast of actor-musicians and a rock concert setting, it is not surprising that music is a big part of the play. Drummer Lucy Yates, in particular, introduces her drum kit to the audience and goes on to show she can beat out a rhythm on any part of the set. Although she appears as her main character, Basher the Badger, only late in the show, she is a fine actor-puppeteer and creates many other characters along the way.
Sharing much of the puppetry is Sophie Earl, equally good as Vickie the Vixen, endearing and mildly threatening, as she lures the hapless pigeon back to her place so she can eat him. She thinks again, however, when she discovers that this particular pigeon, Jonny Feathers, is a rock star. Brought to life in an engaging performance by Yñaqui Tuason-Inocian, this larger-than-life character drives the storyline as he looks for his guitar, finding parts of it in different places. By the time he picks up the snail’s slime trail, looking like guitar strings, the audience are ahead of him and can see where this is leading, although it was slightly disappointing that the rebuilt guitar was brought on from off stage, rather than being revealed in a deftly-switched case.
Writer Martin Murphy also composed the music and lyrics, with Mary Erskine. Their work fitted the piece well and kept the story going, also adding to characterisation, as did the inventive costumes from designer and puppet maker Valeriya Voronkina. The Object Theatre-style puppets were a real strength of the production, made from junk and apparently very simple, but brought to life by the combined skills of puppet maker, director and actors. The snail, in particular, was a triumph, and the whole scene underwater in the Regents Canal worked very well, although perhaps the very abstract milk bottle fish needed the suggestion of a tail? However, the shark was a triumph just as he was, and the funny ravens engaged fully with the audience.
In addition to the live music, recorded pieces and sound effects were used cleverly. Costumes only hinted at the character portrayed – very effectively in the case of the fox with pierced ears. Perhaps Johnny Feathers himself, with his feather-covered leather jacket, needed something to indicate his pigeon-ness when seen from the front? Maybe even the smallest of suggestions of a beak would have enhanced the effective movement of the actor in the role. The badger too, although we didn’t see much of him, seemed to be more snail-shaped with his large rucsac on his back?
These are small points however, and the design in general was very successful and one of the strongest aspects of the production, with the appearance of the puppets likely to lead to many young audience members going home to make their own creatures from household objects. The teacher in me thought what a good show this would be to tour to schools, with lots of potential for follow-on work of all kinds. Sadly, it is very difficult for schools to fund visits by theatre companies today, although some of us remember better times when this was a regular event.
The show even ends with a surprise set change and an audience participation song. Those lucky children who encounter Jonny Feathers the Rock and Roll Pigeon at the Park Theatre (till 13th August) will greatly enjoy the show and be given some good ideas of things to do in the school holidays.