BRATTLEBORO — In the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, a humble tradesman, “The Brave Little Tailor,” wipes out seven flies with one hit and then emblazons “seven in one blow” on his garment. He does nothing, of course, to disabuse his adversaries of the notion that he has slain seven people.
Thus begins the tailor's adventurous journey of misunderstanding.
Adapted from this story, “Seven In One Blow, or The Brave Little Kid,” tells the story of a child living in the city who kills seven flies with a single rag, and makes a belt emblazoned with “SEVEN IN ONE BLOW” to commemorate the event.
As the Kid travels about, most people think the belt refers to seven people, and assign the Kid all kinds of difficult tasks based on this faulty presumption.
Along the way a few interesting things are learned: an ogre finds that you don't always have to show how strong you are: sometimes it's OK just to be quiet about it; a princess realizes that when you tease people you are hurting someone who may be just like you; and a scary monster understands that because she is loved, she may not be so scary after all.
In the end, the Kid ultimately discovers that a parent's love and care has no bounds.
Quirky, homespun, and full of surprises, “Seven in One Blow” is delightful fun for audiences of all ages. Written by Randy Sharp and members of the Axis Company in New York, the popularity of “Seven In One Blow” has led it to become their annual holiday production for the past dozen years.
Now the NEYT Junior Company under the direction of Rebecca Waxman, and with original music by Deniz Cordell, will serve it up for local audiences.