Reviewed: The Butterfly Lion

“an emotionally compelling show”

durham student theatre the butterfly lion

The Butterfly Lion is a stand-out show and a well executed interpretation of a classic Michael Morpurgo book.

A heavy feeling of nostalgia grips the play as it is told from the viewpoint of an old woman, played convincingly by Ellen Milton. She, in a touching performance, recounts her and her late husbands’ life experiences to a hapless schoolboy, played very believably in his DST debut performance by Callum Kenny. Kenny impressively remains in character throughout the play, despite the lack of spotlight on him.

Will Clarke, as Bertie, was hugely likeable; his gripping performance made the show. He and Beth Greenwood (who played Millie) both did marvellous jobs of playing small children, portraying their mannerisms down to a tee. Their performances did not waver as their characters grew up and the relationship between them blossomed into romance.

A strong cast held all the characters well, although with some brief, unintentional moments of comedy at attempted accents. Moments of humour were well received throughout the performance, although audience reaction was not always accounted for, and some lines were lost in the wake of a comedic moment.

Having seen plays where the use of puppetry goes woefully wrong, I can happily say The Butterfly Lion is not one of them. The use of semi-puppetry meant the often hard to get right portrayal of animals in theatre was carried out adeptly by Izzy Webster, in her performance as the White Lion. Atmospheric use of lighting brought out the powerful emotion in many parts, along with effective use of costumes and scenery to depict wartime trenches. Pictures in the background of the stage were also used effectively to reinforce scene changes, although sloppy set changes let the play down in parts. The penultimate scene guarded a final twist: The whole cast’s reunion on stage with a simple yet effective use of prop butterflies led to a rather haunting ending.

All in all, The Butterfly Lion is an emotionally compelling show which the whole cast and crew should feel immensely proud of.