As a piece of Theatre in Education this works very well. The opportunity to delve into the language is richly taken as Granny Smith has a very attractive set of qualities to draw us into her world. That world manages to touch upon many of the words that are there somewhere, at the back of my mind from my rudimentary French from secondary school. She adds to it with a few new words I had no knowledge of and therefore as a family show – she gets me to remember, she adds to my knowledge, and I leave thinking how good the show was.

The script therefore has no cutting edge, but it requires no jeopardy. The drama is in helping Granny to remember things and get her to do the tasks she has herself identified as needing done. It is gentile but very well done.

Our narrator, and guide, has a very easy way with her which is great. There is a gentleness and a security in both the language and the mask work. In the introduction the reluctance over language work was mentioned and I must be honest and say that I would have loved more of the mask and less of the chatter. When you see a hint of deep artistic knowledge, I always want to dig and see deeper.

The structure ticks boxes and does not wander too far from the simple need to get people to acknowledge their language and show that knowledge. The interactive pieces in the making of a crumble are well handled – even with COVID – though leaving our young recipe reader could be a recipe in itself, for a little less than success. He appeared at some points a tad disinterested and ignored.

It is well directed, and the pace required to keep TiE flowing and teaching at the same time were well considered.

Technically it needed little by way of any extras to heighten any drama though I did like the set. There are elements which could do with a more rustic feel – the kitchen perhaps – but overall there is not much needed to improve it.

I loved it and felt really that this was a very good example of when theatre for education is working, it is working pretty damn well.

There’s impersonating of a very different kind in Granny Smith (French Institute, until August 30), a cleverly bilingual (English and French) production for children aged five and over by Parisian Company Theatre Transformations. In this solo show, the multitalented English actor, dramatist and mask maker Tracey Boot (below) dons a superb half-face mask, thereby taking on the wonderfully idiosyncratic titular character.

The piece is played on a simple, yet utterly “charmante” set comprised of backdrops on which black and white drawings depict Granny Smith’s humble abode. The monochrome design contrasts splendidly with the very colorful furniture and props in Granny’s home.

The excellent design, from the mask and costume to the set, is typical of Boot’s exceptional attention to detail. Every aspect of the show, including Granny’s occasional forgetting of English words (she, like Boot herself, is an Englishwoman who has long been living in France), is calculated carefully to engage young audiences (and their attendant adults).

Granny introduces herself as a woman who, among other activities, does karate on Tuesdays. Then she puts us through a gentle workout, complete with a Francophone rendering of the classic children’s exercise song Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

After that, it’s onto some pretty chaotic baking, with a little help from children in the audience.

There were, in truth, more adults than children at the performance I attended on a wet Wednesday morning. However, what the target audience lacked in quantity it more than made up for in quality.

Granny’s young, bilingual helpers Arthur and Iona were so accomplished in translation that they put monolingual adults (such as myself) to shame. Their educational and entertaining interactions with Granny were testament, not only to their own undoubted talents, but also to Boot’s tremendous ability in relating to her audience.

We, in Scotland, see too little of the kind of mask theatre in which Theatre Transformations specialises. However, the excellent movement (including hilarious slapstick) that Boot learned as a student at L’ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris will be familiar to aficionados of the great, but, sadly, currently inactive Scottish theatre company Communicado.

Finally, we turn from a marvellous piece of children’s Fringe theatre ...

Granny Smith, a completely charming English lesson for French speakers – or French lesson for English speakers – disguised as a tale about a day in the life of slightly dotty Granny Smith, an English woman long resident in France who now has a tendency to forget her English at crucial moments.

Created and performed by Tracey Boot of Theatre Transformations, a Scottish-born writer, producer and mask-maker who – like her character – now lives in France, Granny Smith is slightly short on narrative for an hour-long show, and leaves some of its strands completely unresolved. 

Where it scores highly, though, is in some superb audience participation – a brilliant little lad called Boris did us all proud at the performance I saw, as did the two older children recruited to help Granny bake a pear crumble – and in the unforgettable figure of Granny Smith herself, delightfully vague and colourful in a beautifully-made half mask, and a dress dotted with huge red flowers. 

At the end, there’s a chance for the audience to see, and ask questions about, some of the new masks Tracey Boot has been making during lockdown; and with well over half the audience eager to stay and chat, it was clear that Granny had not only won a few hearts, but also some possible young converts to the ancient art of mask-making, which Boot practices with such love and care.

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Granny Smith has forgotten almost all of her English! But, undeterred, she will steer the audience round her bijou house, and recapture some of the language she has shed over the years.

Tracey Boot, Lecoq trained performer and mask maker, takes on the persona of the titular Granny and, with a great dollop of good humour, has the amused patrons sing, dance, and even help bake a cake, all while learning some basic English words.

It's surprising that this has been booked as a comedy theatre show, rather than part of the Childrens Shows section, as it is very clearly a kids' show, designed to teach some basic English to French schoolchildren. This has the unfortunate effect that the audience was entirely made up of adults when I saw the production and, while there certainly was a sense of convivial camaraderie, some of the early parts of the show did move slowly.

Indeed, while this is certainly something to recommend to children both French and English, as each will learn from the experience, it's less well fitted for adults. This, combined with some curious choices, such as passing out pears and paring knives to audience members without so much as a dish-towel or a bowl to work over, seemed rather ill-thought through.this is certainly something to recommend to children both French and English, as each will learn from the experience, it's less well fitted for adults. This, combined with some curious choices, such as passing out pears and paring knives to audience members without so much as a dish-towel or a bowl to work over, seemed rather ill-thought through.

Still, it's an hour of silly fun, that will appeal to anyone trying to steer their offspring gently into a bilingual future. 

“Bonjour!” The show hasn't even started yet but already we are being greeted and instantly we warm to the friendly, French-speaking star of the show. 

Many may be intimidated by the concept of an interactive performance, but there's certainly no need to be afraid of Granny Smith. She is kind, friendly and funny, so it is easy to warm to her. Interactions are frequent and fun, ranging from learning French to helping Granny with cooking, and I would certainly recommend joining in. Time constraints unfortunately meant that the show felt a little rushed towards the end; I fear that I might have missed out on other interesting antics from Granny. But even so it was certainly packed full of fun. Throughout the show, Granny Smith was consistently funny and it was clear that the audience enjoyed themselves, both adults and children. Her facial expressions and gestures were cleverly portrayed to have the whole audience laughing. Overall, I would say this is a unique mix of French, cooking and even ‘gymnastics’, all with a fun and humorous feel.

A charming taste of England

This Tuesday, children had a «rendez-vous» at the library to meet Granny Smith, an exuberant , funny and endearing character. With a bit of pedagogy, lots of humor, 'Granny Smith and the crumble' is a charming interactive show which combines, with lots of joie, the English and the French languages.

Tracey Boot, an actress of Scottish origin from the company Theatre Transformations who interpreted, with a lot of enthusiasm and a great sense of improvisation to adapt to her audience, this Granny who loves chattering, and explaining her activities, cakes and good tea . Director, mask maker, Tracey Boot plunges her audience into a universe so british : they sing in English, translate the crumble recipe and produce an apple crumble live and on stage. Even the parents have been put to contribution to peel the apples! The show ended with an "afternoon tea", while the artist explained the magic of the masks.

A delicious and intelligent introduction to the English language and British culture that has enchanted the public. And the show announced for 3-6 year-olds could suit children up to 11 years of age where they stil adore to adresse a proud "My name is...": some children who had shunned the show, feeling too old, regret it already. But maybe Granny Smith will agree to pay a visit to the school, who knows? It seems that she has many other stories in his tote bag... 

text with photos: 

Granny Smith, an endearing character portrayed by Tracey Boot, led the children in the discovery of british language and culture. The young audience members even took to the stage to help Granny Smith make her apple crumble.

Sandrine MOSCA