Making theatre for children can be particularly challenging, not least for the amount of energy required to keep young theatre-goers sufficiently entertained throughout the performance. Even more demanding is when it is an adult cast taking on the roles of infants. Sarah McDonald-Hughes How To Be A Kid, part of the Paines Plough and Theatr Clwyd season at The Orange Tree Theatre rises to this challenge with astonishing frankness and courage.
Following the death of her Nan, twelve-year old Molly finds herself caring for both younger brother, Joe, and her Mum, who has been left unable to cope with the situation. She ends up in care for a short while, only to be reunited with her family, where things seem to have improved, but not for long.
Molly regularly tells us of her friend in the care home, they bonded over a love of Taylor Swift, and it is this friend who acts as a guiding influence for Molly. It may just be a coincidence that this friends name is Taylor, but for the adults in the audience it leaves us wondering how alone Molly really felt.
How To Be A Kid, aimed at seven to eleven-year-olds, doesn’t patronise its audience, it faces some fairly tough issues head on, and remains realistic throughout. The result is that some children may find it a little sad in places, but the overriding message is one of family ties and love. At one point, I thought it had veered away from this realistic plot, only to realise that it was me who had forgotten How To Be A Kid, and the power that a child’s imagination can hold.
The young audience certainly appreciated the more boisterous antics of the cast, especially those of Hasan Dixon. What really surprised me though, was how quiet this young audience were, transfixed on the events unfolding on front of them, they certainly weren’t being distracted. Part of this is down to the compelling story, while Katie Elin-Salt clearly struck a chord as young Molly.
How To Be A Kid is a remarkable piece of theatre, in that it speaks to young children at their own pace, while giving the adults in the room something to think about too. Not only is it wildly entertaining, but a valuable lesson for anyone growing up in the modern world.
