Review: The Tiger Who Came to Tea (Drama Theatre, HKAPA)
The classic David Wood’s West End stage adaptation of Judith Kerr’s picture book, published in 1968, about a tiger who, as the title reveals, came to Sophie’s house for tea, had finally come to Hong Kong in the last weekend. It is not a surprise for me that, with such a limited engagement of seven performances within three days (Friday to Sunday), the reception of the show is equally enthusiastic and hyper, and the result does the hype justice.
Since 2008, The Tiger Who Came to Tea has brought delight to children in the UK with Kerr’s tale about treasuring your family. There is a saying that the tiger represents the Nazi in Germany as Kerr’s childhood was in Berlin before the Third Reich rose, but Kerr constantly denies this interpretation.
Nonetheless, the tiger comes to tea, eats and drinks everything in the kitchen before Sophie’s dad comes back home. There is no dinner to serve, thus the whole family goes out to the café, and as they travel, they are having a happy time. The next day, the family starts to prepare food for the tiger in case he comes again. Everyone who knows the story knows that the tiger never does.
When I was in London in 2012, the poster of The Tiger Who Came to Tea appeared on various occasions. Turned out the show was coming back to the West End stage during that year. I did not see the show after all, but I remember it vividly that the poster gave me a feeling that the show would be highly heartfelt and sophisticated.
Five years later, I was sitting in the Drama Theatre at Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, finally seeing the show, and it does not disappoint.
First of all, it is a show for pre-school children, thus the show is highly animated, but I do not feel a bit uncomfortable as if an adult is sitting through a show which talks down to children.
As usual, Kerr’s book has been adapted into a musical like other children’s shows based on children’s books. The songs are classy and catchy, very accessible to children, but also favour to the ear of an adult.
The story in the book is very linear and also simple, thus what happens on stage is a repetition of similar scenes, songs, and activities.
One might think that if similar activities are done throughout the one-hour show, one would feel bored by it after 2–3 engagements. I, however, never feel those activities repetitive or redundant.
The show manages to keep me focusing on the daily routine of Sophie and his mother, and how they deal with the people coming into their house for errands until the tiger comes. The audience is already into the characters’ situation, and wants to know what happens next, even though during the show, the actors repeat similar movements and similar lines.
What happens next is the highlight of the show. Finally, the tiger comes to the house, and starts to eat the food in the kitchen. During that scene, the show showcases a stream of magical tricks which astound the audience. Of course, I know there is a mechanism in the props and the set in order to make the illusions, but still, to witness them real-time is a joyful and memorable thing to do.
When it comes to the part where the whole family goes out to the café for their dinner, when the starry backdrop lights up, while blue and purple lighting graces the front stage, that heartfelt feeling I felt back in London when I was looking at the show’s poster reappears. With Sophie, her mum and her dad singing a song that is equally heartfelt, that part is just a beautiful moment to remember.
The interactions are also very engaging, with the tiger telling the children to follow his dance steps, to the family instructing the children to sing about eating food at the café. Even though the latter one is a bit cliché, I can still see it as a success, since nearly all the audiences are playing with it together.
Kudos must be given to the actors. They are the people who make the show sophisticated and believable at its fullest. Ashley Tucker as Mummy is brilliantly lucid and controlled, while Abbey Norman, who is a full-grown adult, as Sophie is still being truthful to her character. If one does not know, one really will think Miss Norman is still a little girl.
Harry Howle as Daddy, the tiger, as well as other characters, is very talented. Even when he is in the tiger suit, I can still see his terrific physical movements. His accents are clear during the dance sequence, while his energy is also vibrant.
When he removes the tiger suit and appears as Sophie’s dad, one can see him dripping in sweat, but he still manages to control his body and his voice for a song coming up. This is professionalism.
The Tiger Who Came to Tea at Drama Theatre, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
An ABA Productions Presentation
Closed on 4th June 2017
Originally published at The Typewriter.
