AN AUTHOR from Pewsey saw her book come to life with a performance at Bouverie Hall over the weekend.

Eileen Browne, author of Handa’s Hen and a number of other children’s titles, attended the production by the Little Angel Theatre Company from London on Friday (April 8), with 70 children and parents packing the hall on both performances.

Mrs Browne, originally from Birmingham but now a resident of Frensham Way, said: “The Little Angel Theatre Company has been touring since January and I managed to get them to come to Pewsey. It was brilliant, there was a real feel-good factor. Cheryl Underhill did an amazing job with the afternoon, she set up loads of other activities for the children to take part in including a make your own puppet activity.”

The theatre company, which has performed the adaption of the book all over the country and at theatres near Broadway, has been touring since the start of the year. Actors Lasharne Anderson, playing Handa, and Mumba Dodwell, playing Akeyo, captivated the crowd of children with 55 handmade puppets.

“It was a stunning show for the two to six year olds, and being able to make a chicken puppet afterwards, thanks to the expertise of the puppet maker Kate Powell from Pewsey, was fantastic,” added Mrs Browne.

The committee members of Bouverie Hall have already received a number of positive comments on the performance from parents and children alike.

Cheryl Underhill, of Swan Meadow, member of the Bouverie Hall committee, said: “All in all it was fantastic, the books are very well known and having the performance come to Pewsey was very exciting. The reports we have had from parents and children have been wonderful, it is great that everyone enjoyed it.”

Handa’s Hen, first published in 2002, follows the story of Handa and Akeyo searching for Grandma’s black hen Mondi, running into a variety of different characters on their travels including lizards, mice and more.