Kommentare - Frederick

Heppenheim. "A long time ago..." he begins the story of the field mouse family, a tale most children surely already know from being read to. The little ones' faces light up in wonder as magnificent flowers suddenly bloom on stage, revealing the stone wall – and laughter erupts as various animal sounds are played in the background. Two mice in checkered knickerbockers, with long tails and somewhat unconventional ears, play hide-and-seek. What could be more delightful for small children than a game of tag on stage, where they all know the protagonists' locations, while the mice are groping in the dark? It was wonderful to see the children roar with laughter as one mouse pulled the other by the tail. Other young spectators stood with open mouths and flushed cheeks, watching the action unfold with clenched little fists. Oh, how exciting! The adults among the 130 spectators at the children's theater performance by Forum Kultur often couldn't decide what was more enjoyable: the action on stage or watching the captivated audience. "There it is!" the children shouted at the top of their lungs as one of the mice tried to catch a butterfly. No one seemed to mind that the mouse itself was moving the fluttering creature with a wire, and that this was visible. It didn't matter to the children. Their imaginations didn't see wires; they saw a summer meadow with butterflies. The storyteller explained that the field mouse family was gathering provisions for the approaching winter in the fall, because the farmer had moved away and the granaries were empty. They all busily collected corn kernels, transported them on straws, and searched for nuts and straw. All of them? No, Frederick seemed to be just sitting around. "Why aren't you helping?" the mice wanted to know. But Frederick was by no means idle: "I'm collecting sunbeams for the cold winter days," he explained. In the audience, a boy asked his parents, "How can the mouse do that?" The parents look perplexed, but luckily the show continues on stage. Their son doesn't have time to wait for an answer. Lucky him! Another slapstick scene follows, so as not to overwhelm the children with Frederick's philosophical musings. This is what makes the production so special: the creators are aware that they are dealing with young children, from age four upwards (some were considerably younger). And they have to keep them engaged for the entire 45 minutes. The two actors, who slip into the different roles, manage this brilliantly. There are frequent scenes where hearty laughter and shouting out are encouraged. You don't have to sit still the whole time. Frederick continues collecting colors and Leo Lionni's words. And in winter, when their supplies run out, the family is grateful that Frederick, with his stories, colors, and the warmth of the sun's rays, makes the wait for spring shorter. Parents and children alike applauded the successful performance and marched out of the hall to soak up some more sunshine themselves.

GELNHAUSEN. A mouse and a whole book full of stories – how the world's most poetic mouse delights its audience. "Frederick, the world's most poetic mouse," known from Leo Lionni's picture book, was a guest at the invitation of the "Druschke Bookstore and Tea Room" in Meerholz. There, the mouse, along with two friends, presented himself to many preschool and elementary school children in a well-attended barn. The children had come with their mothers and grandmothers. Most laughed and marveled when an old, stooped mouse, carrying a thick book and wearing large glasses, entered the stage, awkwardly hoisted himself into an armchair, and, seemingly shy and with many funny faces, finally made contact with the audience. However, four of the youngest children, around three years old, were frightened by the character and began to cry. The others, on the other hand, were thoroughly entertained when the old mouse began to tell a story about five little field mice. These mice lived in a barn and enjoyed the summer. The actors Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz portrayed the mice, taking on all six roles despite being only two people. Dynamically, with expressive facial expressions and gestures, but using only a limited amount of dialogue, they brought the scenes from Lionni's picture book to life on stage. Some of the action took place backstage, but with appropriate sound effects. Whether the little mice were playing hide-and-seek, gathering provisions for the winter, or marching with bamboo tubes slung over their shoulders as rifles, their activities always elicited bursts of laughter. The audience, young and old, doubled over with laughter. Only Frederick the mouse was an outsider. Instead of romping around, he preferred to bury his nose in books. Instead of nuts, straw, and pumpkins, he collected sunbeams, colors, and words for the long winter, which only elicited disdainful head-shaking from his companions. But when the cold winter arrived and the mice, who had long since used up all their provisions, sat shivering in their barn, Frederick gave them the warming sunbeams he had gathered in the summer. He also delighted them with colors and a poem about the four seasons: the spring mouse, the summer mouse, the autumn mouse, and the winter mouse. "Wow, Frederick, you're a poet!" his friends exclaimed in amazement. "I know I'm a poet," the old mouse confirmed at the end of the performance and fell asleep in his chair. "Wake up, wake up!" the little spectators called out. Old Frederick rose and, together with young Frederick, accepted the well-deserved applause, as did all the other mice who scurried across the stage one after the other. Finally, the actors appeared "unmouse-ish" and thanked the audience. Actors Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz from Hofheim in Lower Franconia have been working together under the name “pohyb’s und konsorten” since 2004. The name comes from “pohyb,” which means movement in Slovak, because movement, slapstick, and lively facial expressions and gestures are essential elements of their theater, the Slovak actor explained in an interview with the Gelnhäuser Tagblatt. “We tour abroad a lot, and our stories should be understandable even without many words,” his partner clarified. Gelnhäuser Tagblatt (cra)

Laupheim. …Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz, the duo behind the children's theater group pohyb's and consorts, beautifully staged the well-known mouse story. Pohyb is Slovakian for movement. And there was plenty of movement, slapstick, and acrobatics for the more than 90 children from various kindergartens. The two artists performed the story from the perspective of an old mouse who tells the mouse children about Frederick, the "poet mouse," every evening. They masterfully portrayed the field mice's antics at the old stone wall with humor, noise, and pantomime. It was astonishing how many different mice, represented by just two people, frolicked on stage. And interspersed among them was Frederick, who wasn't gathering food supplies but rather absorbing the sun's rays and collecting colors and words for the cold winter days. The children enthusiastically supported and commented on the action on stage. Then it was back to the kindergartens at a mouse's gallop. (Schwäbische Zeitung, sz)

GELNHAUSEN-MEERHOLZ. Numerous children enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the Honzen barn, their faces beaming with laughter. With a cheerful "Hoppa, hoppa" on their lips and radiant smiles, many children enjoyed a wonderful afternoon yesterday at the Honzen barn. Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz from the mobile theater "Pohyb's" took the youngsters on a fantastic journey through the story of "Frederick, the Most Poetic Mouse in the World." "Once upon a time, there was a stone wall in a green meadow," began "Old Frederick," recounting the story of five happy field mice who lived together. They passed the time with jokes and games of hide-and-seek, but Frederick was different, for he loved to read books... Leo Lionni's famous story about the little mouse turned 30 last year and has delighted several generations of children. But back to the story: While the other field mice worked, little Frederick preferred to collect sunbeams, colors, and words, which he then used to help his friends through the harshest time of the year during the long winter. Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz had a special way of captivating the children with their jokes and slapstick routines, repeatedly eliciting enthusiastic laughter and joyful shouts. The fight with a bamboo stick, in which a mouse finger got stuck, caused great amusement. The little ones quickly joined in with the "Hoppa, hoppa" chorus the mice used to encourage each other. And they hardly needed any words; instead, their performance relied on impressive gestures and perfect facial expressions. "It was so much fun for us that both children and adults enjoyed it," said Maike Jansen, who has been performing as a duo with Stefan Ferencz since 2004. “‘Pohyb’ means ‘movement’ in my language,” added her Slovakian partner, who graduated with a diploma in pantomime from Essen in 1994. Jansen began her career with training under the renowned Swiss clown Dimitri. With their performances, the two artists not only provide entertaining interludes but also introduce children to the world of children's books and the joys of reading aloud or reading independently. (Gelnhäuser Neue Zeitung, jol)

Bonndorf. ...With "pohyb's and associates," an excellent theater duo performed for more than 200 children at the Paulinenheim on Tuesday, staging the story of the famous storytelling mouse with simple means against a cleverly adaptable backdrop. The audience was thrilled by the actors' physical performance, as Maike Jansen and Stefan Ferencz displayed both serious and clownish elements. The duo didn't need excessive volume to captivate their audience. Here and there, delicate accordion melodies or glockenspiel sufficed as effective effects. The boys and girls followed the performance on stage in complete silence, impressively demonstrating that children can still be thoroughly entertained by skillful theater. It doesn't always take deafening noise or sensational horror scenarios to stimulate the imagination. (Badische Zeitung, Martha Weishaar)