Paperbelle

After taking off our shoes we go through a white curtain and find ourselves in what is essentially a large white paper box. But this box is a house; thick black lines making the shapes of a telephone, a fish bowl and table and chairs on the walls. We sit down on white cushions and watch Eric—played by the likeable Stanley Pattison—tidy up rolls of white paper that are strewn round his home as he waits for Paperbelle to visit. Paperbelle is a girl made from paper, drawn with simple lines and who—to quote my young daughter—"doesn’t even have a mouth." But it doesn’t seem to matter: the simpler the better when it comes to toddlers.

Eric and his companion Paperbelle aren't sure what to think when colours start to creep into the house. First, a tiny red light appears. Shocked, they hide it in the cupboard. But the colours keep coming. Yellow, blue, green - playful colours that just want to play. Slowly the two friends see that the colours are nothing to be scared of and begin to have great fun with them.

Paperbelle is undoubtedly reminiscent of Catherine Wheel’s show White—exploring the same themes of colour and adapting to change—but it’s a clever and magical show of its own. The construction of the set is ingenious, allowing Paperbelle to move around seemingly by magic, popping up here and there. The young audience was utterly enthralled, mouths open, laughing, pointing and shouting. The use of light and co-ordination of sounds together with the comic skills of Pattison make this a wonderful piece of young children’s theatre where everyone leaves with a smile.