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It's
a gamble isn't it? Your new French house mate gets home from work,
she's tired and hasn't eaten yet. The poor girl is still getting
to grips with driving on the right and ordering a cup of tea in
English.
"Fancy
going to see some Youth Theatre?" I say. You have to admire
her sense of adventure - she agrees! "What's it called?"
she asks in the car on the way. "I Was A Rat!" I smirk.
In
fairness there couldn't have been a better showcase of local enterprise.
The acclaimed Oxford author Phillip Pullman penned it, a young writer
from the Pegasus Theatre's playwriting group, Ben Coren adapted
it for stage and the Junior Oxford Youth Theatre performed it.
Right
from the opening dance number I knew my French friend would enjoy
it. The fairytale story of a rat who becomes a boy has some rather
conspicuous messages about the dangers of a scandalising press and
racial prejudice but it's very well done with visuals, dance and
a mechanical rat.
The
entire young cast put in exceptional performances but Kayleigh Chambers
in her roll as Mama-ratsi was brilliant and little Rory Gilchrist
made me laugh a lot - he made himself laugh a lot too!
It
was great to see Mr Pullman himself in the audience and providing
his support to this enthusiastic and exciting new talent, perhaps
you should consider doing the same, my Gallic companion and I certainly
had a wail of a time.
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