Review The Tin Forest by PuppetCraft Horsley Village Hall WHEN I was at school we read a science fiction story about some children who’d been taken over by aliens. You knew they’d been possessed by their laser beam hypnotic green eyes. Last weekend, I went to a puppet show in Horsley Village Hall and found the lack of noise and wriggling from the audience so pronounced that I did wonder if the Horsley children had suffered a similar fate to those in the story.

As none of them turned round, I can't verify whether or not they had green laser hypnotic eyes.

I can only point out that normally at an event such as this, at least one child would turn round, and make prolonged eye contact while picking their nose. It just doesn't add up.

Of course, the other explanation is that the show kept the audience’s attention throughout because of how good it was (but I prefer the alien take over version).

The show began with a junk instrument orchestra, formed that very afternoon at a workshop, which worked really well.

But for most of the show, the music was played on a series of olde worlde instruments of the hurdy gurdy, mandolina variety, all of which had a droning and mesmerising quality, and which certainly contributed to the rapt response.

The puppeteers were clearly visible throughout the performance as they brought to life the main character, an old man living in a junkyard.

It reminded me of when I was little and my Uncle Keith used to entertain us by making our soft toys jump around and talk in silly voices.

He ended up working in a bank, and I couldn’t help feeling, on seeing this show, that maybe he missed his calling in life.

The members of PuppetCraft, however, clearly haven't missed their calling in life. Whatever the secret of successful children's entertainment is, they know it.