Mole in the Hole

From a giant glow worm with a Greta Garbo complex to boxes full of pebbles for little feet to scrunch in, Oily Cart has created a wonderful show guaranteed to get the sparks flying in a small child's imagination. We're here to follow the fortunes of the Mole family, on a promenade performance that engages all the senses - right from the moment that hats are given out at the entrance to transform each audience member into the woodland creature of their choice.

Like all the best narratives, this is a quest story, which starts with the brief disappearance of the baby - Milly Mole - and ends with the triumphant restoration of light to the wood's ailing glow-worms. The auditorium is divided into two chambers: in the first children are invited to smell herbs, jump in boxes filled with substances of different textures (sand, pebbles, wood) and brave a waterfall, while in the second (the Moles' Hole) they are entertained to songs and asked for suggestions as the main bulk of the story unfolds.

In a world where the words 'interactive' and multi-sensory' are so often deployed lazily and meaninglessly, it's a real pleasure to see a show which gives genuine meaning to both descriptions - creating a show that energetically stimulates its audience, whether the individual child is more excited by bright lights and sparkly things or a diverting storyline. This is the serious pursuit of pleasure, considerably leavened with wit and music. A wonderful introduction to young minds that haven't toyed with theatre before.