Learn more about the magic of family show Four Seasons
Four Seasons is a theatrical love letter to nature for children and their families.
We spoke to co-director of Little Bulb Theatre, Clare Beresford to learn more about the show before it visits our stage this February Half Term (Friday 21 - Sunday 23 February).
How did Four Seasons come about?
The idea of doing a show about the seasons set to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons has been in Alex's (Director of Four Seasons) head for a long time. His son had a book about the music that contained snippets of it, explaining what they represented and he was really inspired by that, and how theatrical the music is. We all just love it as a piece of music and were really excited by Alex's idea of trying to portray it physically.
Once you start exploring the four seasons there's so much you can pack in - we mostly had to decide what to leave out, especially in spring and summer when everything is bursting into life; we could have done a whole section on insects alone but were inspired by the music to condense it down to just the ones that hang around the picnic table - namely flies and lots of wasps!
What will audiences take away for the show?
Firstly, we hope audiences will have a really fun, enjoyable time watching the performers running around, clowning with the props to transform them into different weathers and animals, and that maybe they too will have a go at making some props of their own out of bits and pieces lying around their homes. But mainly we hope that they have a renewed sense of appreciation in the natural world around them and that the children are inspired to plant the seed paper that everyone is given after the show and have the chance to watch something grow that they've planted themselves.
Having recently got into gardening myself it is just miraculous to me every year what grows out of bulbs and tiny seeds. Also, watching the cherry blossom tree outside my window become all the different versions of itself is a mesmerizing and incredibly beautiful reminder that nature contains everything - not just life, and warmth and growth but also decay, frost and hibernation, and there is a place for it all in a perfectly balanced cycle.
Would Vivaldi be a fan, do you think?
A lot of what is in the show are characters that were inspired by Vivaldi's own instructions on the piece! There is a sound that alludes to a barking dog in the second movement of Spring, and the accompanying sonnet also mentions a shepherd, so I think he'd enjoy that we have a dog and a shepherd character being an important part of the show. Also, as well as being able to capture the beauty of the seasons I think you can tell from the music that he's got a pretty good sense of humour too, so I think he'd be amused by our interpretation (if not a little baffled by all the modern objects) and very happy that his piece was still being listened to and loved, especially by children.
Four Seasons will be at the Corn Exchange from Friday 21 - Sunday 23 February, tickets £14.25, age guide 3+. The running time is just 45 minutes, making it the perfect introduction to live theatre to little ones. You can purchase your tickets now by clicking here.
