As part of Little Angels Puppet Theatre Puppet Festival, Little Seeds of Music presents Tales from the Lighthouse, featuring storytelling, music and puppetry.

Tales from the Lighthouse is the story of a lighthouse keeper who, following a tragedy at sea, becomes fearful and withdrawn until a Stranger appears to remind him of what once he loved and to bring joy back into his life.

Oliver Bishop, portraying the Lighthouse Keeper, immediately captures the children’s attention as they watch him walk down the aisle in a yellow southwester. He unveils the simple yet well designed set in a way that is reminiscent of a peek-a-boo performance. He quickly draws the audience into a narrative with his distinctly mobile expressions. Interacting with the audience, he gives a sandcastle to a little girl and a fishing net to a boy, who is delighted to have to catch some fabric fishes. Braithwaite-Kilcoyne provides background music, playing sea shanties on a concertina.

Using only a blue cloth to represent the sea, he reveals the event that sadly changes his life. Distraught, he hides his props and sends away the mystical sea creatures and selkies. Time passes and a Stranger appears. The Lighthouse Keeper, is transported back to his youth, evoked in the style of Dickens’ Scrooge and the three ghosts. The splendidly constructed water horse puppet is taken into the audience allowing children an interactive experience.

The production is well crafted, and the children were instantly captivated. The use of puppetry to portray the Lighthouse keeper as the older man is inspired and made the children laugh. Braithwait Kilcoyne has a fantastic, haunting voice, and the lyrics were entirely suitable for the age range. While this is a relatively small point, the latter portion of the performance closely resembled a folk concert.  Some of the children became distracted with the lack of action although were quickly engaged once the Lighthouse Keeper reappeared.

An enchanting show for the family.

4 stars

Reviewed by Nina Gardner

Playing at the Little Angel Theatre 16th & 17th August 2025 and on tour at Norwich Theatre Royal and The Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith

Tickets and further information are available at the link below

https://www.littleangeltheatre.com/whats-on/tales-from-the-lighthouse/#book

Cast

Oliver Bishop                 Lighthouse Keeper

Cohen Braithwaite- Kilcoyne               Music/Stranger

Creatives

Writer & Designer: Oliver Bishop
Director: Renata Allen
Composer & Musical Director: David Gibb

Prop Maker and Builder: Gemma Bond
Producer: Ellie Dimmock
Technical Manager: Phil Milston.