Michael Rosen talks about The Magician's Daughter

By Fiona Keating on April 19th 2011

A story about monsters and mayhem is the subject matter of the Little Angel Theatre’s latest production, The Magician’s Daughter. Combine Shakespeare plus the writing of Michael Rosen, a former Children’s Laureate and you have a wonderful piece of theatre that will keep an audience enthralled for the entire play. Even for the toughest audience of all, from ages 3 to 6.

Inspired by the Bard’s tale of the Tempest, The Magician’s Daughter follows the adventures of Miranda’s daughter, as she discovers a mysterious island, populated with strange and disturbing characters such as Ariel, a sprite and the monstrous Caliban.

I chatted to Rosen about the characters in his play and in particular, the young female heroine. “Isabella is an adventuresome girl. She is worried about the inundation of rain where she lives, which presumably is Milan,” explains Rosen. “She gets Miranda [her mother] to tell her the story of The Tempest. The young girl then dreams of going to the island to get Prospero’s magic staff to make the rain end.”

It’s a timely tale for these times, even alarmingly prescient, with recent events of mass flooding and the Tsunami in Japan causing devastation to both people and the environment.

Making Shakespeare accessible for adults, let alone children can be a difficult task, so I ask Rosen how he has managed to make the complex story of sorcery, sprites and shipwreck understandable for all ages. “It’s a romance, so comparatively easy,” he explains. “Shakespeare really knew how to tell these tales.”

The thrill of seeing words that you’ve written translated into the world of puppets must be a real buzz. “All literature is magic,” says Rosen. “It’s absolutely thrilling to see a piece of wood speaking to you.” The grace and beauty of puppetry adds depth, action and excitement. “Just by changing an angle they [the puppeteers] can convey movement,” says Rosen.

One of the writer’s favourite characters in The Magician’s Daughter is Prospero’s staff which has been given the personality of a musical character. “He’s cheeky, he tries to escape. For the kids, it’s a bit of panto.”

Rosen has been a Hackney resident for many years. He has an affinity with the area that goes back generations, with his great, great grandmother living here. “The diversity is utterly brilliant and amazing.” His wife is also fascinated by the area, having made a film about Hackney which was screened at the recent East End Film Festival.

Rosen is looking forward to seeing the Magician’s Daughter. “I’m feeling very nervous and excited. Most of all, I’ll be keen to see how children respond to it.”

The Magician’s Daughter is showing at the Little Angel Theatre from May 28-July 10

Staff Q&A

Jake Orr, Little Angel’s marketing manager talks social networking, tweets and favourite shows

How have you brought the Little Angel Theatre into the digital age?

Before I arrived Little Angel had a limited online presence. I’ve created an E-Newsletter that has seen us cut down on paper mailouts. I’ve introduced social media to talk to our audiences online, and there is our blog which features news, glimpses behind the scenes and old archive material we have. There’s also our popular online videos of shows.

What kind of response do you get from Twitter?

I try to be as friendly and chatty as possible. I might be talking about cups of tea a lot, and showing photos of the puppets in the theatre, but the response is great. Audiences like to talk to you, ask questions or just let you know they are popping in.

Who are your followers?

We currently have over 1,500 followers ranging from parents, theatre lovers, students and of course puppetry fans. 

How about Facebook?

Our Facebook fans are big puppetry lovers, they’re really great at supporting our work and leave brilliant feedback for us. 

What major changes have you brought?

Going technology crazy, and making those in the office realise that audiences talk about you online just as much as ‘offline’.

How will you bring puppetry to a wider audience?

By making people see the fun and excitement in puppetry – mostly through the visual work we create, photo galleries, and videos.

What do you enjoy most about coming to work?

I never know what to expect. Puppets appear out of nowhere, and even land up in the office. Scary, but fun!

What’s been your favourite show so far?

The Fabulous Flutterbys by Barb Jungr. Brilliant songs that get stuck in your head.

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