1927, Edinburgh International Festival, HOME, Spoleto Venue USA, and Theatre de la Ville presents

Roots

We need to know who we were, so we can imagine who we might be.

This Christmas join HOME favourites 1927 (Golem, The Animals and Children Took to the Streets) for a celebration of other cultures, told through their famed blending of theatre, animation and storytelling.

For their most family friendly show to date, 1927 have unearthed a series of rarely told folktales that offer a glimpse into imaginations from a pre-industrialised age. Tyrannical ogres, magical birds, and very, very fat cats are brought to life with the company’s signature fusion of handcrafted animation and storytelling, with a live score involving Peruvian prayer boxes, donkey jaws, violins, and musical saws. Roots considers the narratives of our forefathers and how they might shape the stories of our future.

“The stories, for the most part, deliver a solid punch… This suite of strange stories [is] both unsettling and satisfying.” – Jildy Sauce

“1927 are maturing, in an ever-so-silly way, they are growing into their teenage spots fantastically… 1927 didn’t present a neat, pretty assembling of fairy-tales, they simply presented these stories to us.” – Reviewer Number 9

★★★★ “1927’s shows are always technically flawless, perfectly combining performance with sublime animations and fantastic live music… I have been excitedly waiting to watch Roots for months, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint… An excellent treat and a brilliant alternative Christmas present!” – The Play’s The Thing

★★★★½ “A wholly unexpected evening that is original and ingenious in its conception and execution…  This show is certainly reason for celebration.” – Theatre Reviews North

“A captivating watch regardless of your age… A visual feast, with fantastic performances.” – LGBTQ Arts Review

★★★★ “A magical filmic theatre experience… A seasonal treat, this is just the kind of Christmas treat that will want you wanting more.” – The Grouchy Critic

★★★★ “There is nothing like a good story at Christmas; in Roots, 1927 brings us a dozen or so of the most weird and wonderful from around the world… As a whimsical escape over the festive season, this alternative Christmas show is a winner.” – Quays Life

“Has a fantastical yet playful quality… I found there to be moments of genuinely surprising ingenuity which left me blinking wide-eyed and dazzled in my seat.” – FUSE FM

“Watching a 1927 production is like being transported into an intimate and claustrophobic but at the same time infinite and overwhelming dreamworld… Kooky and quirky, magical and whimsical, and weird, wild and wonderful.” – Mancunion

“A visual and musical feast… This madcap cluster of tales are weirdly mesmerising and totally engrossing.” – Live Art Alive

★★★★ “1927’s imaginative palette has expanded into the realms of the fantastical, while the full umbilical roots between ancient and modern forms of folk tale is brought home in the multi-faceted ways of sharing that suggests the international language of storytelling is more than safe in their hands.” – The Herald

“There is magic in the contrasts between the stillness of the drawings, the moving animation and living flesh… I marvelled at the stagecraft in bringing them all to life.” – The Observer

★★★★ “Offers an extraordinary blend of the material and digital that acts as a fascinating mediation on the nature of theatricality and liveness… Rejecting the morality of traditional fairy tales, Roots instead considers the ways in which culture is rooted in story, in stories that form, connect, and trap – stories, like Roots, that tell something fundamental.” – The List

“The creative delivery of the tales is outstanding… Beautiful and meticulous.” – Independent

“It almost goes without saying that the show’s individual elements, from Suzanne Andrade’s wry script to Paul Barritt’s jittery, spidery animations, the cabaret-style live soundtrack and the larger-than-life performances, are meticulously realised… It is the seamless interaction between performance and design that is remarkable.” – The Times

“Plenty to delight the senses.” – The Guardian

“Sly, witty… Utterly captivating, gleefully macabre… It makes its points so cunningly that they might just slip into your subconscious without you even noticing.” – The Arts Desk

“Contains moments of magic… Shows how these tales bleed across linguistic and geographic borders – how they underscore our cultural commonality.” – The Stage

“A very slick production.” – Time Out

“It is almost impossible to impart in words the magic of a 1927 show. A thrilling combination of animation, live performance, theatre and music.” – The Telegraph

“Anyone interested in the theatre should see this company now.” – The Observer

  • Running time 1 hour 10mins
  • Recommended age 8+
  • This contains mild swearing
  • The show contains some darker elements, and some jokes which may go over the heads of younger children.
  • The show contains some costumed nudity.
  • £10 – £24 (conc. from £5)
  • Caption subtitled performance – Thu 19 Dec, 19:30 provided by John Reevell
  • Audio Described Touch Tour – Fri 20 Dec, 18:30 provided by Theo Hornsby-Walsh from Mind’s Eye Description
  • Audio Described performance – Fri 20 Dec, 19:30 provided by Theo Hornsby-Walsh from Mind’s Eye Description