Friendship, as adults and children all know, is not always easy. Brendan Murray’s new play for the company Tutti Frutti is all about how we make and break friends, as well as how to deal with the stew of emotions involved. Like Disney’s brilliant Inside Out, Yellow Is the Colour of Sunshine teaches kids how to recognise and talk about their feelings – both good and bad.
Hani (Phoebe Stapleton) is lonely and wishes for a friend. When Yoshi (Connor Bryson) appears, it seems her wish has come true, but reality turns out to be more complicated than that. The pair play, squabble and sulk, gradually figuring out how to be together and apart. Lurking in the background, the shapeshifting Holly Irving alternately embodies a watching magpie, a fought-over kite, and the sky they both soar through.
At just shy of an hour, Wendy Harris’s production stretches this material to breaking point. It’s a slight story and there is only so much it can be embellished. The tireless performers run, leap and dance all over Kate Bunce’s colourful set, showing off the physical playfulness and ingenuity that Tutti Frutti are known for. Folded scraps of paper transform into fluttering butterflies; sequined gloves become bright bursts of fireworks. But after a while the show starts to get repetitive and young audience members begin shuffling in their seats.
Where this production succeeds is in its seamless integration of the British Sign Language that Yoshi uses throughout. It’s a lesson in how accessibility can be embedded in the creative process, as well as how – with minimal fuss or fanfare – children can be introduced to different forms of communication.
• At the Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead, 15 June. Then touring until 14 July.
