Pleasance Courtyard

06/08/18

When you’re a human, you can be pretty much anything you want to be when you grow up – a fire-fighter, a zoologist, a writer, an opera singer. But if you’re a mouse that’s a little more difficult. Opera Mouse, written by Melanie Gall and performed by Melanie Gall and Eden Ballantyne, tells the story of little Tilly Mouse who hears an opera performance through a gap in the theatre wall and is so enchanted by it that she resolves to become an opera singer. However, her animal friends insist that mice can’t sing (they obviously never watched Babe), and any humans she meets scream when they see her. Despite this, Tilly Mouse perseveres in this charming story of a little mouse determined to follow her big dreams.

As Gall and Ballantyne tell Tilly’s story using puppetry, storytelling and song, they introduce their young audience to opera in a simple, accessible way. Gall, an opera singer herself, explains what an opera is, and suggests some of the work that goes into the artform by telling the audience about Tilly’s practice and hard work to become an opera singer. Interspersing the story with snippets of some famous operatic works, Gall and Ballantyne create a delightful and entertaining introduction to an art-form that would not usually be associated with audiences of eager, giggling children!

Both Gall and Ballantyne are skilled performers in their own genres, with Gall’s beautiful musical performance entrancing her listeners, and Ballantyne’s engaging storytelling creating a strong connection with the audience throughout.

Opera Mouse is a sweet and entertaining introduction to opera, that reminds the children (and adults, and mice) in the audience that it is always worth chasing your dreams, because they may just come true!

Opera Mouse runs at Pleasance Courtyard until 27^th August as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.