"Whatever you do, don't think about orange penguins!"
The Natural History of Trolls - three stories covering a hundred and fifty years of history, two Queens, and their subjects in the fairy kingdom. Midst this epic timeline is the story of an ordinary commute gone wrong, when a troll-like tramp in an Underground carriage turns out to REALLY be a Troll.
The Natural History of Trolls was conceived in late 2010 as a piece that would be created in public over the course of a year. From January 2011 weekly video blog posts were recorded to show the process of writing the new work. It was also the start of Robert's Storyteller blog, which he continues to use to chart news and events and random thoughts.
The vlogs documenting the process of creating the show are online, along with trailers, other projects and general silliness - the full playlist being watchable here.
The timetable for the creation of the work that became Storyteller: The Natural History of Trolls changed when a performance opportunity opened in July, so the second half of the year saw the focus change to reworking the story for a longer run with a smaller cast.
Storyteller: The Natural History of Trolls premiered at The New Wimbledon Studio in July 2016. Whilst there was a core company who performed in each show, there was also a rotating cast who rehearsed the show on the day of performance.
An adjusted revival premiered at The Quay on Sunday November 20th 2011, prior to a run at the Barons Court Theatre from the November 29th to Friday December 23rd 2011.
Although two talented and attractive actresses have been recruited to assist with the telling, The Natural History of Trolls is undoubtedly a one man show and Crighton, with his diction like John Gielgud and dressed like a sort of Dickensian sex pest, is an accomplished storyteller ... His story is a charming and original one that, as an audience member, made me yearn to be sat at my Grandfather's knee, listening to a similarly tall tale of a world beyond our own.
