Some press comments on Magic Spaghetti

'Buonissimo!!' On arriving at the Traverse Theatre, my belly was very happy indeed having enjoyed a scrumptious traditional Scottish breakfast. With this, I rolled into ‘Magic Spaghetti’ feeling ridiculously full and ready to explode. A little over an hour later, the pans were flying, the pasta was boiling and the mouth was watering like the Edinburgh skies. If there is anything to wet your appetite for good food, ‘Magic Spaghetti’ has got all of the essential ingredients. Strega Nona leaves her home town to travel around the world, only to return back to a place very different than that she remembers. No more fresh, juicy fruit from the tree. No more delicious vegetables. The only food that everyone seems to eat is spaghetti…..plain spaghetti. Strega, now outcast for her flamboyant taste in food, gradually begins to turn the locals from their ‘plain’ food to the tastes of the world. This, however, is only after their greed leads them to misuse Strega’s magic spaghetti and drown the world they know in the only food that they know. This is a great show for kids and a fantastic way to make healthy food cool, which will please parents to no end. The performances are big and bright and alone could entertain children for hours (It did for me!). Along with this are songs and jokes a plenty. I strongly advise parents to take their children to see this. They’ll love it….. and so will you. Alex Eades THE EDINBURGH GUIDE 'a wicked sense of humour' It seems that Licketyspit is a big fan of the Gillian McKeith/Jamie Oliver healthy eating philosophy. But this is by no means a dull preachy piece from the well loved company. Larger than life characters, teamed with a wicked sense of humour, keep this slick show rolling along, played out with such energy that the audience can’t help but get caught up in it. The production has a life beyond its allotted length, with songs and ideas that stick in your head for weeks afterwards. THE LIST 'Charm and whimsicality' Jamie Oliver would surely consider Licketyspit on the side of the angels as far as children and their eating habits are concerned. For Magic Spaghetti, the companies ambitious new sire specific show cheerfully celebrates the benefits of ditching automatic “yeuch!” responses and trying new things. Charm and whimsicality, as well as genial performances and daft humour, soon whet young audiences appetites. THE HERALD 'a modern-day fairy tale' Licketyspit have concocted a modern-day fairy tale that sells its young audience on the merits of fresh, flavoursome food….enlivened by songs, catchphrases, movement and just a touch of slapstick. THE SCOTSMAN 'a hymn to healthy eating, served up with a welcome dose of be-flagged Italian sunshine' Licketyspit which was launched only one year ago has already established that it has a creative spark….there is much to admire in Magic Spaghetti, a musical inspired by a Calabrian folk tale and set in the composite country of Scotaly….Comic characters such as the cross-dressed Mrs Frilliness will enthral young children. Licketyspit has its finger so firmly on the public pulse it almost cuts off the circulation. Magic Spaghetti not only does for pasta what Delia Smith did for the boiled egg, but it is also a hymn to healthy eating, served up with a welcome dose of be-flagged Italian sunshine before a back drop of a sun drenched Tuscan town, by a lively and talented quartet of actors. Valvona & Crolla of Leith Walk Edinburgh are the sole providers of the pasta used during the tour. Cunningly Licketyspit include in the programme the recipe for Strega Nona’s Quickie Sugo Sauce, by courtesy of Mary Contini of Easy Peasy Cookbook fame. Watch out for some youthful shoppers in Scotland’s oldest Italian Delicatessen. TES 'A new play celebrating food, fun and music!' EVENING NEWS