Review of Lost and Found at Aviva Studios.
Waiting for the show to start, down in the stalls, Aviva Studios’ ingenious folding yellow seating was keeping a surprising number of young audience members entertained. Any budding interest in auditorium design is quickly forgotten however when a noisy gaggle of gulls emerges – swooping down the aisles and sticking their beaks in all over the place.
On stage, a harbour wall is surrounded by enormous piles of debris washed in by the tide – and the sudden appearance of a big fluffy penguin causes quite a stir (and lots of gasps of excitement).
Based on Oliver Jeffers’ children’s book, Lost and Found follows the journey of a boy who finds a penguin on his doorstep. Director Will Brenton’s world premiere theatrical adaptation carefully expands the original story into a (just short of) one hour show.
Fans of the source material will feel reassured by the production’s look and feel, which has drawn on the palette and watercolour textures of Jeffers’ original illustrations and includes moments that seek to echo familiar scenes from the book’s pages.
Yet it confidently adds extra dimensions, bringing new and refreshing layers of creativity – such as richly atmospheric sound and music, crowd-pleasing puppetry, and thoughtfully reimagined design.
As the boy who tries to help the lost penguin, Richard Hay is innocently unphased by the world, not yet prey to overthinking – and moves with awkward yet determined strides. His oversized woollen hat, and massive chunky knit sweater, shrink him before our eyes – all that room to grow into renders him childlike.
Jean Chan’s show-stealing set and costume designs manage to be cute, clever, and charming – as well as aesthetically beautiful. The densely packed detail in the blue-washed mounds of flotsam and jetsam, a copse of big green lollipop-like trees (descending from the ceiling to more gasps), and the slightly surreal delights of the busy Lost and Found Office.
It’s a production that plays with perspective and proportion. A huge book, a ginormous bath plug, or a pair of extra-long super-stretchy arms – leaps of imagination. Conversely, it will use puppetry and animation to suddenly zoom out – with boy and penguin dwarfed beneath a towering lighthouse, or glimpsed as two small figures in a boat on a storm-tossed ocean – how tiny they are, and how vast the world is.
It would be easy to overlook Lydia Baksh’s subtly skilful performance – hidden away and silent, inside the ruffled penguin costume with its fixed facial features. Relying on movement alone – such as a speedy waddle, tilt of the head, or flap of her wings – Baksh manages to not just bring the boy’s feathered friend to life but add humour and character.
The gang of seagulls, who help to keep things lively (and smooth out scene changes), are entertainingly flight-controlled by the show’s six-strong ensemble. Stylishly attired in blue and white – a mix of nautical stripes, distressed denim, and fishing net – they are astonishingly versatile perfomers. Not only operating puppets, but taking on roles, playing musical instruments, and singing – all seamlessly and enthusiastically delivered.
Lost and Found has a relatively simple message about the power of friendship – “we’ve got each other”. Yet there is also a sense of possibility, and of curiosity. Several of Gruff Rhys’ specially composed songs reference seafaring – a world of open water, distant horizons, and a spirit of adventure, a desire to “know where the pirates go”.
Once or twice, the cast will ask for help, and very willing volunteers will jump up from their seats to assist on stage. However, the show never looks to cajole or force a reaction from its audience. Most interaction is unprompted – with children clapping along, wriggling in their seats, calling out instructions and pointing directions, as natural responses to the wonderful things happening on stage.
I could go on and on about the high quality of Factory International’s production – but that generation of spontaneous joy is the real measure of Lost and Found’s success.
Performance seen on 14 December 2023.
Lost and Found runs at Aviva Studios from 12 December 2023 to 6 January 2024.
Images by David Levene.
Circles & Stalls 