Photos: Eoin Carey
Ali the elf (Ramesh Meyyappan) is a bit of a sleepy chap. All of this crafting presents malarkey has made him tuckered out.
Can his assistants- and some wee ones in the audience- help him to wake up so the gifts can get to Santa in time for Christmas?
Simon Donaldson and Christina Gordon ably assist Ali with gorgeous melodies on mandolin, cello and harp, and Meyyappan is both peerless clown and magician.
He may be a tad clumsy, getting glue over his fingers and struggling to make a balloon dog, but wait! Did he… just make an Oreo cookie… expand using sleight of hand? Yup… And tea changes colour and bubbles appear seemingly from nowhere, thanks to this amazing elf.
Ali’s pals explain to the children that he can’t hear, so they teach them sign language. It is a simple but effective way to teach wee ones about communication, and the cast of three are outstanding.
Meyyappan brings balletic grace and wonder to Ali, and the kids hang on his every comical, sweet, or cheeky expression.
What a thoughtful, beautifully -staged and thoroughly inventive show from creator/director Andy Arnold: it deftly eschews the usual clichéd storylines about Santa and his little helpers.
At Tron Theatre until 31st December.
thetempohouse 