FESTIVAL KIDS | Reviews
JOHN HEGLEY: MORNING WORDSHIP Cross-generational guffaws with the performance poet ●●●●●
In an ideal world, John Hegley would be mass-produced and sold in the shops. Not his books, they're already out there, but the man himself. Family life would be a lot easier if you could just open the cupboard and pull out your Hegley every time things got fractious, heated or miserable. He'd calm people down, cheer everyone up and distract you long enough to forget what you were bothered about.
The performance poet has spent so many years handling
beered-up punters in comedy clubs and children in schools, that he knows how to deal with just about anyone. And for 'deal with' read 'make laugh', because one of the joys of sitting in a Hegley show for families, is watching his cross-generational appeal in action. Whether it's at his ludicrous drawings, silly join-in songs, or clever and unexpectedly structured poems, he hits the spot with all ages and brings in the laughs. The odd hilarious comment in Morning Wordship is thrown specifically at the adults, but precious few – Hegley knows his audience and pitches it perfectly so no-one feels excluded. Starting with a picture painted by his father in France years ago,
he works his way through a series of photographs and sketches, peppering the act with key words and phrases that the audience has to respond to at each hearing. We get them right eventually. You get a sense that this show has been cut and paste from
various past sources: Hegley's popular children's picture book, Stanley's Stick; school visits, and previous theatre shows. But it all hangs together well, albeit a little tenuously (not that we care), via the series of slides he clicks through at pace. If you're a fan of Hegley, you'll already know what to expect. If not, his droll, dead pan yet utterly charming manner is the ideal antidote to the in-your-face exuberance overload at the Fringe. (Kelly Apter) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 19 Aug (not 8, 13, 15), 10.30am, £10 (£8).
CHARLIE BAKER PRESENTS: THE GREATEST GOAT OF ALL TIME Sweet show with something for everyone ●●●●● DENIM: THE DENIM JUNIORS Drag show for young audience shines ●●●●●
THE DRAGON AND THE WHALES Gentle tale uses upcycled objects to create an underwater world ●●●●●
This two-hander featuring actor/comedians Charlie Baker and Sam Battersea (known respectively from Harry Hill’s Tea Time and CBBC’s Class Dismissed) makes a decent fist of creating a show that appeals to everyone. A fairytale with a contemporary edge, it also serves as a vehicle for Baker’s gregarious sense of showboating humour. When he tries out a rap filtered through his own upbringing in the Devon countryside, for example, he introduces it as ‘clip-clop’ music; it’s ‘cultural approximation’, not appropriation, he pleads with us breathlessly. Yet there’s sweetness as well as silliness here,
in the tale of a shy songwriter named Glenda who is bequeathed a singing goat by her lonely farmer landlord and takes it out on the road. In many ways this is Battersea’s show, or at least her character leads the way. But it’s Baker’s all-action silliness which adds an unpredictable spark to play off, against Battersea’s gentle storytelling reserve, as she enhances the story with overhead projector shadow puppetry. The balance between each style isn’t always even, but the results are sweet and funny. (David Pollock) ■ Assembly George Square Gardens, until 26 Aug (not 21), 3pm, £10 £8.50 (£9 £7.50).
76 THE LIST FESTIVAL 8–15 Aug 2018
Bold and brash – at least on the outside – the five drag queens of supergroup Denim descend on Edinburgh for just one more gig in front of their adoring fans, the Denim Juniors.
Wrapped up in the pretence of a super-gig in front of thousands, they bring an hour of cleverly re-tooled pop songs and a properly exuberant mix of gender politics and glitter. It's pitched at just the right level for 5–10 year olds, with the odd line (mostly about paying for merchandise) that will resonate with parents. Man, woman, princess, queen and diva, Denim's stage personas are just as real as any teen group. Maybe even more so. Once past the big crowd- pleasers such as ‘Barbie Girl’ (and a couple of numbers for the parents), they drop into serious mode with a story about fitting in and a truly wonderful spoken-word pastiche which leads into a buzzing take on ‘Let It Go’.
There's a routine where audience members get
a drag makeover and quite a bit of interaction, but it’s the quintet's voices that really make it work. And this is drag for the junior generation which, without being rude or saucy, says loud and proud, that queens just wanna have fun. (Thom Dibdin) ■ Assembly George Square Gardens, until 19 Aug (not 13), 4.35pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).
While some productions use flashy animatronics to bring creatures to life, Glasgow-based theatre company Modest Predicament stays true to its name and takes a far more home-spun approach. In this gentle tale of a baby dragon dropped into the ocean and raised by whales, everyday household objects take on a whole new purpose. A simple lampshade and tumble dryer vent hose becomes a dragon, a table tennis bat is transformed into a ray fish bobbing under the water, a small paper lantern is opened and closed to depict a puffed-up blowfish. Each clever invention not only raises a smile, but lets the young audience watching know how easy it is to be imaginative in their own home.
The story itself feels drawn out, leading at times to a lack of pace – and there’s less here to warm the heart than in Modest Predicament’s 2016 Fringe outing, Erin, Errol and the Earth Creatures. But with shadow puppetry, songs, audience engagement and plenty of energy from the two cast members, there’s enough here to make for a pleasant hour. (Kelly Apter) ■ Assembly Roxy, until 27 Aug (not 13, 20), 12pm, £9 (£7).