Remember when you were young and thought that you were invincible? In a long-ago Venice, Rosie thinks that her friend Nico can do anything. Not without Rosie, he can’t. It’s her brio and loyalty that make him brave, and the pair will need all the courage they can muster when they set out on an adventure.
Before they’ve even left Venice, things go wrong. When Nico steals an apple for Rosie, he is imprisoned, and then one of his arms is turned to gold. Only dragon’s blood will cure him, but the search for it will be perilous and made all the more dangerous by encounters with greedy grownups who want Nico’s golden arm.
Terry Jones’s fairytale has all the elements of the traditional quest story, a strong sense of the fantastical, and plenty of humour, although the latter is oddly lacking in John Ward’s adaptation. The transition from page to stage is often as rocky as Nico and Rosie’s journey in this family musical, co-produced by Dumbwise and Red Ladder, with a five-strong cast of talented actor-musicians. Max Runham and Samantha Sutherland are particularly appealing as the youngsters who take everything the world throws at them and then hurl it back.
Despite a cumbersome design that slows the action, patchy logic in the storytelling, and the episodic narrative, there is much that is likable. Not least in the way the children pit themselves against a series of adult opponents, including plundering pirates and the kind of monks who give religion a bad name. You want to cheer Nico and Rosie on. But the perfectly pleasant songs often slow rather than serve the action, and while the show has a low-key charm, it feels both half-baked and over-extended, and sorely in need of an outside eye to tighten the sagging storytelling and staging.
• At Berry theatre, Southampton, on 7 February. Then touring until 9 March.
