EDINBURGH 2023: Review: GROW, Scottish Storytelling Centre, George Mackay Brown Library

The concept of Grow is simple, yet lovely. The audience is helping The Gardener look after their friend’s allotment, ensuring that the plants will grow. Niall Moorjani, seen in A Fairie Tale days earlier, takes on the role of The Gardener, an enthusiastic person who does not know how to help their friend grow a plant but is willing to do whatever it takes to get it done!

The Gardener needs the audience’s help in figuring out how to grow a plant. With the help of audience members, The Gardener sings a song to make the sun come out, learns how to water a plant, and learns how to be patient when waiting for a plant to grow. Several animal friends come in to help The Gardener with their task of growing a plant, including a bee, a bird, and a hedgehog. The puppets are adorable (I especially loved the simple yet lovely little hedgehog, who was cleverly attached to a glove and danced around in its basket). 

At the end of the show, each audience member is given a packet of sunflower seeds with a blank label so that they can draw their own sunflowers. There are also some pots for the older children who are able to use “special” markers to decorate pots for their sunflowers. Both adults and children were taking part in the arts and crafts activities, trading differently coloured crayons and looking at each other’s designs. 

Ultimately, Grow is a delightful show for children that will have both kids and adults happier than when they first entered. It was great seeing kids be so interested in theatre and Moorjani is able to capture their attention and wrangle even the most curious of children.  

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