The Rainbow Fish Exeter Northcott

IT'S always difficult to imagine how a children's short story book is going to be transformed into an hour-long production interesting enough to keep youngsters entertained.

But it certainly wasn't a problem for the five-strong cast of the Blunderbus Theatre Company which had the audience engaged as soon as they stepped into the auditorium.

They greeted us all as we found our way to our seats and then mingled among the children and adults before the opening music started.

And from the moment the Rainbow Fish put on her colourful coat, the youngsters were hooked. Most seemed to know the classic children's story by Marcus Pfister and were shouting out unprompted.

The actors combined costumes with puppetry sequences to take us all on a magical underwater adventure. They included the audience at every opportunity and ran among us as the action progressed.

This is not just an engaging, funny, fishy tale; like other Pfister stories it has an important message.

The Rainbow Fish, with her shimmering scales, is the most beautiful fish in the ocean. But she is proud and vain, and none of the other fish want to be her friends — until she learns to share some of her most prized possessions.

The Blunderbus adaptation was excellent entertainment and a great introduction to the theatre for youngsters.

Exeter Northcott is planning a number of other productions for younger audiences over the next few months — check its website www.exeternorthcott. co.uk and the Echo's What's On supplement for details of all the upcoming shows.

If they are as good as The Rainbow Fish they should not be missed.

SUE KEMP