Of Long Rabbit Legs and Clever Hedgehog Heads
Press echo:
Hase und Igel oder Lügen haben lange Beine
A production of the denk:spiel association.
Oberösterreichisches Volksblatt | 21-05-2021 | ast | PDF
Von langen Hasenbeinen und klugen Igelköpfchen
For the first premiere at the Linz Children's Culture Center Kuddelmuddel in half a year, director Manfred Forster welcomed young guests and some older viewers yesterday. "Hase und Igel oder Lügen haben lange Beine" (for ages 3 and up), a puppet theater production by Maximilian Tröbinger, freely adapted from the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale, and produced by the denk:spiel association, celebrated a successful premiere...
Annika Pilstl directs, and Gerti Tröbinger is responsible for the lovingly crafted set design and puppet construction. "It's great to finally be back in front of an audience!" exclaimed Maximilian Tröbinger, for whom this is his first production for such young children. "The challenge is: how much do you engage the children?" He has succeeded in that balancing act. The production shows that you don't need extravagance on stage to convince the little ones; what matters is the quality, and it's of the usual high standard. A glance at the little booklet reveals the story: Mr. Rabbit has written about a race in which Mr. Hedgehog defeated him. Can that be possible? The children are divided... some say, "Yes, the hedgehog wins," while others see the rabbit clearly ahead.
It all starts in a turnip field, which is actually a suitcase, where Mr. Hedgehog and his wife sow a turnip. It grows and grows miraculously (the children know exactly how that's possible: "The man can do magic!"). Mr. Rabbit comes by and tells stories; he is a hero in his imagination.
Quite the opposite of Mr. Hedgehog. And so, a bet is made for the turnip. When Mr. Hedgehog realizes what he's gotten himself into with his short "turnip field-standing legs," only a trick can save him. Will it work out? Yes, the turnip brings them together in friendship: long hare legs and clever hedgehog heads are indeed a good mix...