“Co-director Toby Olié’s splendid puppets, are operated by a lively cast of five. The croc has a crafty cackle and an often crazed look as he either wields his giant jaws or wheels around the stage on a striking croc-mobile that may end up on some kids’ Christmas lists.”
THE GUARDIAN
“The production is blessed with very eye-catching, very witty puppets from Toby Olié. From the bug-eyed croc who assembles and disassembles in numerous clever ways, to the amusingly realised children themselves, it looks great.”
TIME OUT
“Olié’s puppet creations wittily transform adult actors into children, while his animals look like Quentin Blake’s distinctive illustrations made real. The crocodile itself is particularly ingenious, and suitably massive, often snaking around the whole stage, and deconstructed to be disguised as a seesaw or coconut tree.”
THE STAGE
“The animals, including a loveably nervous hippo and a fabulously exhibitionist Roly-Roly Bird, are realised with jolly inventiveness in the creations of Toby Olié and his co-designer, Daisy Beattie.”
THE TIMES
“It’s Toby Olié’s work as co-director and puppetry designer that grabs the eye. From small hand-puppets we graduate to larger-scale efforts worn like a costume and, in the case of the enormous crocodile, a huge head with a jaw that clamps shut and a detachable tail.”
WHATSONSTAGE
Associate Puppetry Directors
Michael Jean-Marain
Avye Leventis
Puppet fabrication
Production Photography