{KIDS} Reviews
REVOLTING RHYMES Lively rendition of Roald Dahl tales ●●●●●
The two performers at the helm of this manic hour may be young (one of them had just received their A Level results the day I saw them) but already they’ve honed considerable performance skills. Not only that, they’ve also amassed a considerable capacity for audience empathy, knowing exactly how to handle the younger and older members of the crowd (and even trying not to wake a sleeping baby). Hailing from the Roald Dahl Museum in
Buckinghamshire, they also know their stuff. The show opens with a lone chair sitting centre stage, a copy of Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes lying on it. But if the implication is of a storyteller about to sit down for a cosy fireside- style session, then the reality couldn’t be more different. Instead, these energetic performers romp around the
stage – and the audience – delivering three of Dahl’s quirky re-worked fairytales, and one creation of their own, very much in the Dahlian tradition. First up is Cinderella, but although the major players are
all there – Prince Charming, Fairy Godmother, aesthetically challenged sisters and the eponymous heroine – they’ve all been suitably Dahl’d. Charming fails to live up to his name and chops off the head of anybody too ugly to marry and Cindy (as she’s now known) ends up marrying a local boy with more moral fibre. Alternative versions of Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs and original work The Mad Monk follow – each one delivered with much silliness and enthusiasm. There is little here in the way of production values, with
no set, costumes or lighting design to frame the tales. But the comic timing, tireless exuberance of the performers and touches of well-placed audience participation ensure this is a fun experience for all ages. (Kelly Apter) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug, 12.30pm, £8 (£6).
L A V I T S E F
MOVIN’ MELVIN BROWN: JUST SINGING AND DANCING . . . YOU CAN DO IT! Slick foot-stomping falls flat ●●●●●
There’s no denying Movin’ Melvin Brown got his stage name right. Sometimes he moves so fast his gold-shod feet go into a fuzzy cloud of slick rhythm and frantic toe-tapping. The best thing by far about this gentle show, which introduces children and their parents to a variety of dance styles, is Brown’s dancing. Whether he’s parodying Michael Jackson meets Riverdance in a hybrid of robotic moves and foot-flicking, or going wild on a hoedown of Texan clogging he’s a performer with talent and flair and a heart as huge as his rich singing voice.
Less successful are his attempts to get the audience involved, which the show relies on rather too heavily. At first it seems like the crowd have hearts of stone, rejecting Brown’s invitations to play along. But as the show puts on increasing pressure to perform – rather than simply participate – on both kids and adults, it becomes clear Brown is asking too much. When it works – and special mention goes to badminton-racket-banjo player Ross – it’s brilliant. But without a confident crowd, parts of this show can fall a little flat. (Lucy Ribchester) ■ C ECA, 0845 260 1234, until 29 Aug, noon, £7.50–£9.50 (£5.50–£8.50).
44 THE LIST 25 Aug–22 Sep 2011
HURRY UP AND WAIT Clown show that fails to live up to potential ●●●●● THE FALL CHILDREN Macabre, colourful fairy tale ●●●●●
With a parade due any minute, two friends are forced to wait patiently for its arrival. Their stools sit either side of a giant clock – an ever-present reminder that time is passing just too slowly. In a bid to speed it up, these colourful characters create a raft of imaginary worlds, found inside the hat of female performer Liz Skitch.
Most of the time, her male counterpart, Clint
Bolster, looks on in disapproval, as she tries to reel him in with talk of food and swimming. But after a while, even he can’t resist the silliness of it all. Both Skitch and Bolster have good comic ability, and an undeniably likeable stage persona. What seems a shame here is that neither of them use their skill to its full potential. Yes, they can pull funny faces, cross their eyes and talk in silly voices – much of which elicits giggles from the excitable kiddie crowd. But you can’t help but think that the audience,
young and old, would have got more out of this if a degree of subtlety had been introduced. (Kelly Apter) ■ C aquila, 0845 260 1234, until 29 Aug, 2.40pm, £7.50–£8.50 (£5.50–£7.50).
This sinister fairytale turns a place that young children fear to tread – under the bed – into a delightfully macabre underworld. A little girl awakes to find that she and her stuffed toy have fallen into this dark chasm. With the help of a menacing narrator, skilfully played by Lee White, it’s clear that this tale is more Brothers Grimm than Disney. But while there’s much to like in this piece, it suffers from a misplaced sense of humour (a touch too dark for its 10.45am slot) and an incoherent narrative thread. We know the little girl is in danger but we’re never quite sure what from. This makes it difficult for the audience to cheer her on in her quest for escape – especially when the world she’s stuck in is as visually striking as the one that unfolds here. Where The Fall Children triumphs is in creating an attractive colour palette of costumes and puppets. Particularly spectacular is the sock monster, the only figure that can save our heroine from an eternity under the bed. With a few songs thrown in too, it really is an interesting, innovatively choreographed piece of theatre for children – it’s just a shame the story isn’t any stronger. (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Zoo Roxy, 662 6892, until 29 Aug, 10.45am, £8 (£6).