lucky Dog Theatre Productions: The Red Balloon

A boy.

A balloon.

A story of friendship.

A comical homage to the classic 1956 short film by Albert Lamorisse. Pascal lives a lonely life with his mother in Paris. On his way to school one day, he finds a red balloon with a mind of its own and together they discover the true meaning of friendship.

Tony (Pascal) and Philip (everyone else) squabble occasionally but nevertheless make their slightly askew version of this internationally-loved story equal parts charming, touching, funny and silly. The show is suitable for all the family.

There will be balloons.

One of them will definitely be red.

'This show might just be their best yet' (Fringe TheatreFest Review, 2022)

'Children and adults alike roared with laughter' (Buxton Fringe Review, 2020)

'Enjoy this delightfully performed magical tale of friendship and loyalty' (Summerhall Review, 2019)

'There is a lovely duality between these two' (Fringe Review [OUTSTANDING SHOW], 2019)

REVIEWS

THE RED BALLOON (Audience, Fringe TheatreFest, June 2022)

Wow! What a brilliant show! You made me laugh out loud. You are truly skilled performers. I loved this! (Caroline) This is great! I love these guys! Went to see them at the Barnstaple Fringe. A magical tale was told, both the adults and kids were drawn in and escaped to another land! I'm thinking of going to see them again today; it's a long time since I laughed out loud at such innocent fun. Thank you. Totally escapist fun for kids and adults alike. Do go and see it. ***** (Jenny)

THE RED BALLOON (Mark Ashmore, Fringe TheatreFest Review, 25th June 2022)

The Red Balloon is a joyous and imaginative adventure through the backstreets of Paris, with Pascal and his new friend, a balloon. Lucky Dog have impressed audiences with their comedic skills before at Theatrefest, but this show might just be their best yet. It’s a wonderfully heartfelt story of friendship, filled with laughter and fun. The jokes come thick and fast in this show, as do the many colourful inhabitants of the Parisian suburbs, all brought to life on stage with verve, energy and an outrageous wig and fake beard or two. Ultimately though it is the relationship between Pascal and his balloon that stays with you, a beautiful reminder that there are some friends you just can’t let go of.

THE RED BALLOON (Viv Marriott, Buxton Fringe Review, July 2020)

Lucky Dog Theatre Productions have taken the classic French 1956 film, The Red Balloon, and adapted it for the stage with the addition of their own brand of humour and lively personalities. The Red Balloon is the story of a friendship between Pascal, a lonely young French boy, and a red balloon he finds on the way to school one morning. Tony Carpenter plays a very convincing young boy whilst Philip Hutchinson plays everyone else with gusto. Watching the video of a live performance at the Brighton Fringe last year gives many different experiences. There is something for adults, something for children and the added dimension of watching the audience enjoy themselves and hearing the comments made by both children and adults. I loved the squeal of delight from one child when he saw a pile of balloons being stored off stage. For adults Tony and Philip step out of character to joke, make witty asides and argue, mostly about the fact that Philip does not like the parts he has to play, which he has actually written. Children like the more physical and visual aspects such as Philip bringing on a toy duck and a toy dog when required to play 3 tough boys and of course, the story itself captivates children. Children and adults alike roared with laughter when Philip appeared as a young girl complete with bright yellow wig and pigtails. Dramatic tension was created through the use of music and voices. We could feel Pascal’s concern for his friend, the red balloon, when his mother did not want it in the house and hear his stress as he was being chased by the bad boys who wanted to take the balloon. The changes in pace, use of music and many characters played by Philip ensure that production moves along at a lively pace, good for young children. I am not going to give away the ending but when Lucky Dog Theatre do this production as a live show all children are given a red balloon to take home. So buy some red balloons, sit down with the family and enjoy the show.

THE RED BALLOON (Irene Brown, Radio Summerhall Reviews, 23rd August 2019)

In 1956, French director Albert Lamorisse made a film that has become a classic of its genre and starred his son Pascal. This film was Le Ballon Rouge (in English The Red Balloon) and tells a beautiful and fantastic tale of a lonely wee boy who finds surprising and envy inducing friendship with a magical red balloon. Dressed in tieless buttoned-to-the-neck white shirts, Tony Carpenter and Philip Hutchinson of Lucky Dog Theatre Productions from Guildford in Surrey, have made a sensitive and amusing adaptation of this French children’s classic. Transferring one genre of art to another is an art in itself, especially when dealing with a classic text and these two have managed to make the story theatrical without losing the gentle charm and innocence of the original story. Carpenter plays the central role of young Pascal and Hutchinson plays the array of subsidiary parts that comprise all the key characters, from the school janitor to the gang of ruffians to the flirty wee girl with the blue balloon. The technicalities involved in making a balloon appear to have an independent life was ground-breaking in its time but this pair pull it off through simple inventiveness. Lucky Dog’s immense knowledge of the original is clear to anyone who also knows the film, confirming what a good job these guys do of transferring its story to the stage All the significant points of the film are covered as scene by scene is faithfully narrated and acted out, as their self-referential humour weaves playfully through the performance and the film’s evocative soundtrack tinkles the air. The memorable magic of the film’s breath-taking final scene comes across touchingly as they aptly get the help of some of the audience. The farting noise [not intentional!] as the balloon deflates thanks to a catapult shot reduces the poignancy of the moment but it’s about the only flaw in this respectful and charming tribute. For anyone familiar with the film, allow yourself to float in the nostalgia created by this company but if the story is new to you, just to enjoy this delightfully performed magical tale of friendship and loyalty. Lucky Dog’s respectful adaptation should encourage folk to seek out Albert Lamorisse’s joyous original film.

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THE RED BALLOON (Robbie Carnegie, Buxton Fringe Review, 14th July 2019)

The Red Balloon is a French short film from 1956, the story of a young boy in Paris and the balloon which appears to have a mind of its own as it joins him on his daily journeys around the city. It's a piece of Gallic whimsy which I recall watching as part of the Picture Box schools programme of the 1970s, and I found it charming at the time. Lucky Dog Theatre Productions, in the form of actors Tony Carpenter and Philip Hutchinson, have turned the film into an appealing 35-minute show, in which Carpenter plays Pascal and Hutchinson plays all the Parisian characters he meets on his travels. They apply a comical approach to the source material, particularly Hutchinson, who revels in playing Pascal's mother, a dog, a bus driver, a teacher, a priest and others. I particularly enjoyed his portrayal of Sabine, the little girl Pascal meets who owns a similarly sentient blue balloon - although he protests that he doesn't want to play the role and looks ridiculous in blonde pigtails, it's his most convincing character. The third character in the piece is the balloon itself, which both actors operate well, while [deliberately] not entirely making us believe that it does exist as a character in its own right. There is a looseness to this production - sometimes the actors break the fourth wall to puncture the reality they have created on stage. The audience enjoyed this sweet, smile-inducing little show; a very agreeable lunchtime treat for all ages.

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THE RED BALLOON (Chloe Alexander, FringeReview, 17th June 2019)

Known to generations of film lovers, the 1956 classic The Red Balloon comes to the stage through the talents of the award-winning Lucky Dog duo. Their lovely retelling of this story loses nothing in its realisation for the stage from the screen. The short film Le Ballon Rouge (The Red Balloon) was made in 1956 by the film maker AlbertLamorisse and featured his own children Pascal and Sabine in the main roles. Filmed in a romantic and shattered post-war Paris it is the tale of a young boy befriended by a red balloon which takes on a will of its own and follows Pascal through the streets, on the bus and into school. The metaphor of hope is clear from the start as the brightly coloured red balloon contrasts with the grey exterior of a war-ravaged city. Inevitably perhaps the forces of evil (other street boy gangs) set out to destroy Pascal’s other-worldy friend and as the film comes to its sad climax with the boys destroying the balloon with one slingshot, miraculously all the balloons of Paris release themselves from children and balloon sellers and gather to be with Pascal mourning his lost ‘friend’. As he grasps their strings, the balloons carry the boy up above the ruins of the city, bringing an almost religious message of hope and redemption. With such a simple tale it would be easy to overlook the skill of the writing of taking a film with almost no dialogue (the teacher shouting “Silence!” at his unruly pupils is the only line of dialogue in the original film!) to a stage show requiring a narrative. But in the hands of Lucky Dog this is easily realised and we are guided through the story with ease. Lucky Dog duo knew they were handling a classic so their take on it employs their charming double-act rivalry to place us firmly in the theatre and not necessarily out on the streets of post-war Paris. This is no sleight of hand as the charm of the story itself is compounded by our own compassion towards their ineptitude getting the show moving. Throughout the show one character will refuse to don a wig to represent the little girl in the film (who befriends Pascal and her blue equivalent balloon) and on other occasions an inappropriate prop will only add to the mayhem. There is a lovely duality between these two and their tetchiness and undermining tactics employed on each other are very funny indeed. At times this seems like a show within a show where we are focussed on them rather than the story itself. A familiar theatrical ploy but here used with ease and poise. Supported by sounds masterminded by Aaron Clapp, Lucky Dog use minimum everyday stage props, joke spectacles and moustaches and straw-plaited doll wigs – and of course balloons – to keep us within the light-hearted charming world of the film essentially made for children and the humour inevitably springs from their use and mis-use.

Full list of all Fringe Extra, Barnstaple, performances here.