Making its London premiere after its UK debut at the Edinburgh International Festival 2019, Roots is a medley of folktales brought to life with 1927’s signature fusion of handcrafted animation and storytelling.
Tales of tyrannical ogres, magic bird’s hearts and very, very fat cats are told with a live score involving Peruvian prayer boxes, donkey’s jaws, violins and musical saws. Roots playfully considers the narratives of the past and how they might shape the stories of our future.
What tales to tell in such strange times? Sitting on a shelf in the British library is an unassuming red book: The Aarne index. Inside this tome thousands of folktales are categorised, offering a glimpse into the imaginations of pre industrialised people. 1927’s Roots is a medley of some of these rarely told stories, an anthology of ancient folk tales by anonymous authors.
Roots debuted at The Spoleto Festival USA in 2019, and ran at the Edinburgh international Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Carthage Theatre Days Festival Tunisia, Chile, Germany, Brighton, Manchester and Margate. It also received a radio adaptation for the BBC.
Writer & Director Suzanne Andrade said, “After 18 months of cancelled touring we’re delighted that at last Roots is back on stage and the company is back in London. We’ve missed good nights out telling tales, sharing stories and meeting audiences. Where better to head to share Roots’ ragtag collection of folk jokes and twisted tales than London’s wondrous Wilton’s Music Hall.”
Roots is at Wilton’s Music Hall 5th – 30th October 2021.
