Wimbledon may be recognised first and foremost as the home of lawn tennis but since 1979 it has also been the home of the renowned Polka Theatre, which was established with the aim of producing and presenting high quality theatre for young audiences. It has now linked up with York Theatre Royal to produce a touring version of The Little Mermaid, which is being staged at the Haymarket Studio until 07 January 2006. | "Ivan Scott’s exquisite soundtrack, with its French chansons and clever bubbly sounds...gave the feeling of another mystical world." | | Clive Roberts |
The scene at the bottom of the ocean is brilliantly set with a design by Karen Tennant, which allows the actors plenty of scope for their underwater and on land adventures. But for me it was Ivan Scott’s exquisite soundtrack, with its French chansons and clever bubbly sounds, that immediately gave the feeling of another mystical world deep down under the waves. Originally penned by that master of children’s storytelling, Hans Christian Andersen, the story has been adapted by Mike Kenny and here it is told and acted out by just two players who manage to establish an immediate rapport with the young audience. There are dangers, however, in acting in front of youngsters – you never really know what to expect. Beware the rhetorical question – young children will always come up with an answer even if it is a mystifying one. At one point the young mermaid questions the whereabouts of her partner and is repeatedly told by a member of the audience that he is in the shop even though the scene is set at the bottom of the sea! This had me in stitches! Clever use is made throughout of the various artefacts lying around the set and the young audience found the whole performance a most rewarding experience. Well worth a look if you are very young or young at heart. | 
