Director Emily Lim and Co-Director and Puppetry Designer Toby Olié talk about bringing Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile to the Darlington Hippodrome stage in April – and the vital role puppets play in drawing audiences into this joyful musical extravaganza.
Tell us about the genesis of The Enormous Crocodile as a musical and how you decided puppetry was the best way to tell the story?
Emily: It was an epic, gradual process of working out how to make the story live as a piece of musical theatre, and honoring the original but being radical with new ideas where we felt it would help enhance the spirit and clarity of the material. We decided very early on that puppetry would give the children in the audience the most magical, fun experience of the jungle animals. Meeting Toby and his wild imagination was a real turning point in understanding how hilarious and inspiring this added dimension could be.
What were some of the joys and challenges of developing not only a new musical, but a new musical with puppets?
Emily: It was a really exciting new form for me to bring all these elements together. The puppets behave in a totally different way, of course, to human actors! So, finding the alchemy between our performers and their puppets was essential. How do these puppets sing? How do these puppets groove? How does this one particular puppet bounce around on a trampoline? It’s been a lot of learning and our company are amazing, juggling so many different skills, and committing all the songs and lines to memory as well as discovering all the different physical beats of each scene with their puppets.
Do you have a favourite puppet from The Enormous Crocodile?
Emily: I love them all, but there was a moment in one draft where we very nearly cut Humpy Rumpy as a character from the play, so I think I might say him! Oh, and the plate of carbonara – that’s a favourite!
Toby: Mine is definitely the Enormous Crocodile himself, the sheer scale and playfulness of how we portray the character onstage feels equal parts joyful and thrilling. And the initial idea of its design was really the bedrock for the entire show’s puppetry concept and how the performers would portray the animals.
What has the reaction been to the show so far, from both children and adults in the audience?
Toby: Even more riotous than I would have ever imagined. The audiences are totally absorbed by the mischief and comedy peril in our show, and by the finale they are practically dancing in their seats. You see families arrive and the children are so excited, and by the end of the opening number you see that their adults are just as hooked. Which is exactly what we wanted, a show that is based on a famous children’s book, but made for everyone of any age.
Can you remember a particular experience where you were entranced by a puppet as a child?
Emily: I used to love watching shows like Greenclaws and The Riddlers as a child on TV. And as an adult I won’t ever forget the first time I saw the War Horse horses, which Toby puppeteered. I love how puppets transport us to different worlds and make all kinds of impossible things possible.
Toby: For me seeing The Lion King stage musical as a teenager was a hugely formative experience. It was such an ambitious production that utilised many different types and scales of puppet. It was also incredible to see how awe-struck the audience was watching a show that uses very little stage trickery or technology; everything is very declared and human powered. It really opened my eyes to how active an audience’s imagination is when watching puppetry, they not only ‘fill in the gaps’ to make something appear real or alive, but also enjoy the technique of how it’s being achieved at the same time.
What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of touring a show like The Enormous Crocodile – The Musical?
Toby: Fitting us into every theatre can sometimes be a challenge. We’re a deceptively big show, particularly as our cast features an elephant, a hippo and a five metre long crocodile!
How important is it to create theatre for younger audiences?
Toby: Working in puppetry, it is so often assumed your work is only for children. But I think the last few decades have seen puppetry play a huge part in shows for a wide range of audiences. I think productions that genuinely entertain and forge connections with multiple generations are wonderful things, and something that I’m very proud of The Enormous Crocodile for doing.
Why should people come to see The Enormous Crocodile – The Musical?
Toby: Our combination of fantastic songs, hilarious anarchy and a menagerie of playful puppets keeps you engrossed from start to finish. Plus our cast of five incredible performers are quadruple threats: singers, actors, dancers AND puppeteers, who wouldn’t want to see them work their magic?!
The Enormous Crocodile runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Thursday 16 to Saturday 18 April. For full details or to book call the Box Office on 01325 405405 or visit darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk