Toro Toro

Toro! Toro! is, unsurprisingly, a story set in Spain about a young boy growing up through the Spanish Civil War and his "pet" bull. Adapted for the stage by Simon Reade, this one-man play, like most Morpurgo's, presents a major slice of history in a way that any audience can absorb. The play does not deal with the whys and wherefores of teh war, simply its effect on one young boy and his family.

Told by the boy , grown up, on the day of Franco's death we are taken into the quiet Andalucian countryside in the thirties where he was a child and friend of "the bravest bull in all Spain". Unsentimental yet charming, the story is both beautifully written and engagingly performed. Gary Turner has to sing, dance and speak Spanish, as well as taking on all the parts while holding a strong, but understandable, Spanish accent (the only word that threw me for a while was "cork" but once in context I had it!). Being a Morpurgo, no attempt is made to sugar up the facts, they are simply presented though the eyes of a young boy growing up and being confronted with the horrors of a war unlike any before it.

Although aimed at a younger audience (who seemed to thoroughly enjoy it) this is good theatre for any age and was a reminder to me that I know way too little about the Spanish Civil War and I need to fill in some gaps.