The Dong with a Luminous Nose tours to Bath’s Egg Theatre

A thoroughly entertaining and suitably absurd take on Edward Lear’s nonsense classic, The Dong with a Luminous Nose, appears at The Egg at the Theatre Royal Bath on Friday 1st October and Saturday 2nd October, recommended for children aged 7 and over.  

Edward is a bit of an oddball. A shy and troubled boy, he is always watching the horizon, waiting for something to happen. Then one day “the Jumblies” arrive, and his life is turned upside down, then shaken about a bit, and then a bit more!

Dancing chairs, a troublesome telephone and a swarm of shape-shifters all play their part in this tale of a lonely boy who has difficulty facing up to the facts. The Dong takes us on a journey with Edward as he grows up, encouraging us to feel empathy and consider those we know who may appear to be a little bit ‘different’. 

With a huge and colourful cast of abstract and figurative puppets, The Dong with a Luminous Nose explores the difficult age between being a child and becoming an adult. A sequel to the well-known Jumblies, this artistically adventurous production seeks to stimulate children’s imagination and provoke audiences to start asking questions.

Director and puppet designer Peter O'Rourke comments, “The Dong with a Luminous Nose is such a brilliant piece of nonsense; not only is it full of playful elements, but it is atmospheric and deals with deeper emotions. In this production, I wanted to explore the issues of isolation and loneliness and of not fitting in that Lear expresses in the poem.”

Only using a few words, the story is told through a kind of mime, like in a silent film, brought to life by incredible music by Ben Glasstone. The Dong with a Luminous Nose is created by the designer/director and composer partnership behind Little Angel Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland and The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. 

The Dong with a Luminous Nose visits The Egg at the Theatre Royal Bath on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd October. Tickets are on sale at The Egg on 01225 823 409, the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk