Josephine Bean Reviews continued...
Read the Review of Josephine Bean by Joyce Mcmillan ****
http://joycemcmillan.wordpress.com/2011/11/24/the-curious-scrapbook-of-josephine-bean-top-hat-bite-the-bullet/
The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean
By: Anna Millar
The Arts Journal
Date: 12 August, 2012
Beautiful stories come in small packages, this Fringe, in Shona Reppe’s delightful Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean. Performed, created and designed by Reppe (Cinderella, Olga Volt), our tale is set in a laboratory, where ‘scrapologist’ Dr Patricia Baker is exploring the contents of an 100-year old scrapbook, in a bid to discover the hidden story within it. The revelations come slowly at first: lonely Victorian watchmaker Artemis J Mood takes solitary train journeys from Edinburgh to Fife. But as the pages are turned, another world of walks on the beach, fish and chips, nights at the opera, and tickets for two are revealed, pointing at the possible existence, but not yet the true reveal, of our eponymous Josephine Bean.
Reppe captures the tone and pace of the work nicely, veering from her forensic explorations to the excitement of what they might expose. The attention to detail in both sound and image is glorious too, and while Reppe’s trademark puppets may be absent, each page of her carefully crafted scrapbook brings with it another clue and a new delight, her seemingly simple lab opening up a world of visual possibilities – from tiny washing lines to wonderful pop up houses. Aimed at ages 7+, both Reppe and her director Gill Robertson (of Catherine Wheels) have created a piece appealing to young and old alike. Charming, original theatre.
The Edinburgh theatre review
The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean
Reviewed by Helene Cloete
Shona Reppe's one person show for children is a wonderful storytelling experience that will enthral both young and old.
Doctor Patricia Baker “has a PhD in Scrapology”. She studies scrapbooks and pieces together the stories of the people who made them, and in this sweet little play the audience gets to join her on her investigation.
Reppe not only performs the show, she also created it, writing the script and designing the charmingly detailed props. Most notably, of course, is the book in question, which contains ticket stubs for trains and theatrical performances, a large collection of seaweed, and some lovely surprises I really should not spoil.
The tale itself is fantastical and touching, and with each turn of a page we learn more about the person who made the book. Reppe is a confident storyteller, who does not rush to give us all the clues at once, but rather opens up the possibilities and letting us imagine.
While a lot of the story being unraveled must be seen in the mind’s eye, what is actually seen onstage is extraordinarily well presented and beautiful. Several different techniques are employed, including shadow play, projections, fantastical sound, and nifty tricks with lights.
It may seem a little slow at the start, but at the reviewed performance the children in the audience were fully involved before they could grow restless, and the grown-ups seemed glad to have had an excuse to see one of the most charming plays at the Fringe this year.
The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean
Reviewer: Val Baskott for The Public Review 4 1/2 stars.
Shona Reppe has created a delectable, engrossing entertainment for the over 7s which charms adults too in The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean. Quietly introducing herself as a doctor of scrapology she explains her mission to discover the inner secrets of scrapbooks and their creators. In her well-equipped lab she demonstrates and probes her latest find, a vast, very old Victorian scrapbook.
Each lovingly created page is analysed; scents sniffed and sound memories played back. Every test is carefully planned and explained and gradually the clues uncover the story behind the book. The owner is identified as a lonely clock maker who travels and collects seaweeds. His special seashore discovery and subsequent adventures make for a heart-warming tale with several imaginative twists and turns on the way. Reppe uses clever sounds by Danny Krass and videos by Jonathan Charles to illustrate her discoveries and draws on her puppetry skills to bring the story to life for us. There is a hint of romance and plenty of fantasy, glitter, glamour and pop-ups before we meet Josephine.
Reppe captures her young audience’s attention from the beginning, they sit rapt and involved and there is plenty of grown-up humour too. This is top-notch storytelling for older children and the child in all of us.
The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean
Rediscovering the beauty of scrapbooks ****
The List
10 August 2012
Yasmin Sulaiman
Shona Reppe’s new production is a wonderfully scientific venture that slowly blossoms into a love story. The set is beautiful and intricate, a cross between a science laboratory, an operating theatre and a dark room.
Reppe dons a lab coat and becomes Dr Patricia Baker, a scrapologist – someone who studies scrapbooks — and founding member of SCRAPS, the Society for the Care, Repair, Analysis and Probing of Scrapbooks. She carefully pours over a Victorian scrapbook she has found, sifting through collages of photos, rail tickets and clippings to uncover the mystery within.
It starts a little slowly, and though the humour doesn’t go over the heads of the children here, the adults are definitely laughing louder and more often. But this is a lovely and thoughtful piece from Shona Reppe and Catherine Wheels director, Gill Robertson. The sheer amount of detail in the set and the scrapbook shows true love, care and attention, and the play really credits its young audience with intelligence by letting its twists and turns unfold at their own pace.
Reppe is brilliant as Dr Baker, infatuated by her new discovery and eager to get to the bottom of the mystery. But there’s no hamminess here, just an enthusiastic forensic goal to discover the origins of the scrapbook. As in her previous acclaimed shows, like Cinderella and Potato Needs a Bath, Reppe is animated and energetic without ever being over the top.
It seems apt that the show takes place in the Scottish Book Trust too, as it exudes a touching reverence for scrapbooks that’s been all but lost in the digital age. It all culminates in a wonderful atmosphere and a touching finale that has everyone smiling and more than a few eyes welling up.
SCRAPTASTIC! ****
Broadway Baby
Reviewer:
Rohanne Udall
Follow ‘Scrapologist’ Dr Patricia Baker as she probes, analyses and repairs a large Victorian scrapbook, identified as the property of the lonely clockmaker and seaweed collector Artemis Mood. In this light detective story a fascinating romance is revealed through photos, train tickets, food stains, lists and other fragments of a past life.
Shonna Reppe the designer, writer and performer, is our charming guide Dr Patricia Baker. Witty and constantly beaming at the joy of her discoveries, her enthusiasm and energy is highly infectious. Inquisitive and obsessive, Reppe pours over the large scrapbook, tweezers in hand, drawing out and transferring objects into small transparent plastic bags. Each new discovery is proffered with comedic insight and imaginative contemplations on the life of Artemis Mood.
The scrapbook itself is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship; intricate, delicate, filled with hidden envelopes, secret folds and curious collections. I’m sure I shared an itch with the rest of the audience to explore all the nooks and crannies, to examine the details up close. The key details are shared with us, though, through the clever use of projection onto a screen that makes up the set of Baker’s laboratory, enlarging her discoveries, the film traces the glide of her magnifying glass.
Award-winning children’s theatre practitioner Shonna Reppe is known for her work in puppetry, and this is a wonderful example of a theatre of objects and a story told through objects. A vital accompaniment to this is the carefully orchestrated sound and music, evoking Mood’s trips and adventures, even the captured voices of those around him. Each spread offers us a new soundscape to draw us into the past.
Entertaining and wonderfully original, Reppe captures the attention and admiration of children and adults alike. Some of the humor is clearly for the parents and very much appreciated with knowing chuckles. There might have been more for the children to do to actively take part in the narrative, but Reppe’s constant engagement didn’t leave them wanting.
Oh, and you’ll have to see the show to find out the little secret about Josephine Bean.
Three Weeks Magazine *****
Holly Close
Friday August 24th
The Curious Scrapbook Of Josephine Bean (Shona Reppe)
Framed by a small but intricate set, Doctor of Scrapbooking, Patricia Baker (Shona Reppe), invites the audience to join her on her latest investigation: delving into the life of Victorian watchmaker Arthur J Mood. Part romance, part detective story, the layers of plot are pieced together at just the right speed, with Dr Baker as our knowledgeable guide. Reppe is a delight to watch, charming the adults as much as the children, and engaging in some excellent banter with silent technician Brenda. Every detail, both onstage and in the script, is fully exploited, and the sound and lighting design are truly magical. It’s a perfectly-formed show, though I did leave hoping it would go on just a little longer.
Read the Review of Josephine Bean by Joyce Mcmillan ****
http://joycemcmillan.wordpress.com/2011/11/24/the-curious-scrapbook-of-josephine-bean-top-hat-bite-the-bullet/
The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean
By: Anna Millar
The Arts Journal
Date: 12 August, 2012
Beautiful stories come in small packages, this Fringe, in Shona Reppe’s delightful Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean. Performed, created and designed by Reppe (Cinderella, Olga Volt), our tale is set in a laboratory, where ‘scrapologist’ Dr Patricia Baker is exploring the contents of an 100-year old scrapbook, in a bid to discover the hidden story within it. The revelations come slowly at first: lonely Victorian watchmaker Artemis J Mood takes solitary train journeys from Edinburgh to Fife. But as the pages are turned, another world of walks on the beach, fish and chips, nights at the opera, and tickets for two are revealed, pointing at the possible existence, but not yet the true reveal, of our eponymous Josephine Bean.
Reppe captures the tone and pace of the work nicely, veering from her forensic explorations to the excitement of what they might expose. The attention to detail in both sound and image is glorious too, and while Reppe’s trademark puppets may be absent, each page of her carefully crafted scrapbook brings with it another clue and a new delight, her seemingly simple lab opening up a world of visual possibilities – from tiny washing lines to wonderful pop up houses. Aimed at ages 7+, both Reppe and her director Gill Robertson (of Catherine Wheels) have created a piece appealing to young and old alike. Charming, original theatre.
The Edinburgh theatre review
The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean
Reviewed by Helene Cloete
Shona Reppe's one person show for children is a wonderful storytelling experience that will enthral both young and old.
Doctor Patricia Baker “has a PhD in Scrapology”. She studies scrapbooks and pieces together the stories of the people who made them, and in this sweet little play the audience gets to join her on her investigation.
Reppe not only performs the show, she also created it, writing the script and designing the charmingly detailed props. Most notably, of course, is the book in question, which contains ticket stubs for trains and theatrical performances, a large collection of seaweed, and some lovely surprises I really should not spoil.
The tale itself is fantastical and touching, and with each turn of a page we learn more about the person who made the book. Reppe is a confident storyteller, who does not rush to give us all the clues at once, but rather opens up the possibilities and letting us imagine.
While a lot of the story being unraveled must be seen in the mind’s eye, what is actually seen onstage is extraordinarily well presented and beautiful. Several different techniques are employed, including shadow play, projections, fantastical sound, and nifty tricks with lights.
It may seem a little slow at the start, but at the reviewed performance the children in the audience were fully involved before they could grow restless, and the grown-ups seemed glad to have had an excuse to see one of the most charming plays at the Fringe this year.
The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean
Reviewer: Val Baskott for The Public Review 4 1/2 stars.
Shona Reppe has created a delectable, engrossing entertainment for the over 7s which charms adults too in The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean. Quietly introducing herself as a doctor of scrapology she explains her mission to discover the inner secrets of scrapbooks and their creators. In her well-equipped lab she demonstrates and probes her latest find, a vast, very old Victorian scrapbook.
Each lovingly created page is analysed; scents sniffed and sound memories played back. Every test is carefully planned and explained and gradually the clues uncover the story behind the book. The owner is identified as a lonely clock maker who travels and collects seaweeds. His special seashore discovery and subsequent adventures make for a heart-warming tale with several imaginative twists and turns on the way. Reppe uses clever sounds by Danny Krass and videos by Jonathan Charles to illustrate her discoveries and draws on her puppetry skills to bring the story to life for us. There is a hint of romance and plenty of fantasy, glitter, glamour and pop-ups before we meet Josephine.
Reppe captures her young audience’s attention from the beginning, they sit rapt and involved and there is plenty of grown-up humour too. This is top-notch storytelling for older children and the child in all of us.
The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean
Rediscovering the beauty of scrapbooks ****
The List
10 August 2012
Yasmin Sulaiman
Shona Reppe’s new production is a wonderfully scientific venture that slowly blossoms into a love story. The set is beautiful and intricate, a cross between a science laboratory, an operating theatre and a dark room.
Reppe dons a lab coat and becomes Dr Patricia Baker, a scrapologist – someone who studies scrapbooks — and founding member of SCRAPS, the Society for the Care, Repair, Analysis and Probing of Scrapbooks. She carefully pours over a Victorian scrapbook she has found, sifting through collages of photos, rail tickets and clippings to uncover the mystery within.
It starts a little slowly, and though the humour doesn’t go over the heads of the children here, the adults are definitely laughing louder and more often. But this is a lovely and thoughtful piece from Shona Reppe and Catherine Wheels director, Gill Robertson. The sheer amount of detail in the set and the scrapbook shows true love, care and attention, and the play really credits its young audience with intelligence by letting its twists and turns unfold at their own pace.
Reppe is brilliant as Dr Baker, infatuated by her new discovery and eager to get to the bottom of the mystery. But there’s no hamminess here, just an enthusiastic forensic goal to discover the origins of the scrapbook. As in her previous acclaimed shows, like Cinderella and Potato Needs a Bath, Reppe is animated and energetic without ever being over the top.
It seems apt that the show takes place in the Scottish Book Trust too, as it exudes a touching reverence for scrapbooks that’s been all but lost in the digital age. It all culminates in a wonderful atmosphere and a touching finale that has everyone smiling and more than a few eyes welling up.
SCRAPTASTIC! ****
Broadway Baby
Reviewer:
Rohanne Udall
Follow ‘Scrapologist’ Dr Patricia Baker as she probes, analyses and repairs a large Victorian scrapbook, identified as the property of the lonely clockmaker and seaweed collector Artemis Mood. In this light detective story a fascinating romance is revealed through photos, train tickets, food stains, lists and other fragments of a past life.
Shonna Reppe the designer, writer and performer, is our charming guide Dr Patricia Baker. Witty and constantly beaming at the joy of her discoveries, her enthusiasm and energy is highly infectious. Inquisitive and obsessive, Reppe pours over the large scrapbook, tweezers in hand, drawing out and transferring objects into small transparent plastic bags. Each new discovery is proffered with comedic insight and imaginative contemplations on the life of Artemis Mood.
The scrapbook itself is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship; intricate, delicate, filled with hidden envelopes, secret folds and curious collections. I’m sure I shared an itch with the rest of the audience to explore all the nooks and crannies, to examine the details up close. The key details are shared with us, though, through the clever use of projection onto a screen that makes up the set of Baker’s laboratory, enlarging her discoveries, the film traces the glide of her magnifying glass.
Award-winning children’s theatre practitioner Shonna Reppe is known for her work in puppetry, and this is a wonderful example of a theatre of objects and a story told through objects. A vital accompaniment to this is the carefully orchestrated sound and music, evoking Mood’s trips and adventures, even the captured voices of those around him. Each spread offers us a new soundscape to draw us into the past.
Entertaining and wonderfully original, Reppe captures the attention and admiration of children and adults alike. Some of the humor is clearly for the parents and very much appreciated with knowing chuckles. There might have been more for the children to do to actively take part in the narrative, but Reppe’s constant engagement didn’t leave them wanting.
Oh, and you’ll have to see the show to find out the little secret about Josephine Bean.
Three Weeks Magazine *****
Holly Close
Friday August 24th
The Curious Scrapbook Of Josephine Bean (Shona Reppe)
Framed by a small but intricate set, Doctor of Scrapbooking, Patricia Baker (Shona Reppe), invites the audience to join her on her latest investigation: delving into the life of Victorian watchmaker Arthur J Mood. Part romance, part detective story, the layers of plot are pieced together at just the right speed, with Dr Baker as our knowledgeable guide. Reppe is a delight to watch, charming the adults as much as the children, and engaging in some excellent banter with silent technician Brenda. Every detail, both onstage and in the script, is fully exploited, and the sound and lighting design are truly magical. It’s a perfectly-formed show, though I did leave hoping it would go on just a little longer.