Puppets bring Jane Austen classic to life at Warwick theatre

Box Tale Soup's puppet show production of Northanger Abbey.

Box Tale Soup is bringing its first work, Northanger Abbey, to Playbox Theatre’s Dream Factory tomorrow afternoon (Saturday).

Featuring seven handmade puppets and just two human performers, the show promises audiences a fresh and inventive approach to Austen’s tale of gothic romance and misadventure.

The company’s artistic director Noel Byrne was a founder member of Playbox, before going on to study theatre at Stratford College. Before long, he was performing regularly as the Jester at Warwick Castle and has since appeared in television shows including the BBC’s Doctor Who and CBBC’s Mission 2110.

Noel set up Box Tale Soup in 2011 and he and co-performer Antonia Christophers, who has appeared in the BBC’s The Hour, have impressed the likes of Joanna Lumley and Michael Pennington with their Northanger Abbey production. Lumley said: “I was completely mesmerised by Box Tale Soup’s enchanting production”, while Pennington described the pair as “two multi-skilled performers of great virtuosity, charm and resourcefulness”.

Tomorrow’s production at the Dream Factory in Shelley Avenue, Warwick, begins at 3pm. Tickets cost £7.50. To book, call 419555 ext 2. To find out more about the company, go online.