A little ball of rice is at the centre of The Little Mochi Man as he travels across the mountains of Hokkaidoand somehow survives without being eaten.
The theatre company A Thousand Cranes (in association with artsdepot) are behind the drama for children aged three to seven.
The company describes the show in these terms: “It’s almost New Year and little Mochi Man, tired of being bullied because of his small size, decides to run away. Join him on his adventures as he travels from the snowy mountains of Hokkaido, to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, meeting many wondrous creatures and characters along the way, including The Gingerbread Man and a very fast bullet train.”
The company say they use origami puppets, animation and specially composed music as they introduce children to the country of Japan along with some of its culture. A Thousand Cranes was founded by director and writer Vicky Ireland and performer Kumiko Mendl in 2006.
The 50 minute show is on a national tour from January 28th to May 30th 2018 with venues that include: Watermans, Half Moon, artsdepot, the egg, Nuffield, Greenwich Theatre, The Cockpit, Cambridge Junction, The Courtyard,Hereford, Polka Theatre, Stratford Circus, The Civic Barnsley, Little Angel and Salisbury Playhouse.
A mochi is a ball of rice rather like a sweet cake and has a long tradition as a popular delicacy especially at New Year and is made from a short grain glutinous mochigome rice. Hence the name.
More details at athousandcranes.org.uk
There’s more children’s theatre at childrenstheatrereviews.com and at http://www.harrymottram.co.uk/?page_id=510
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