Review of Back In Time For Breakfast by Munchkins & Monsters Theatre Company at The Umbrella Fair 2016, Northampton

Munchkins and Monsters Theatre Company had what I personally consider two of the toughest audiences to keep entertained; a bunch of four, five, six, and whatever year olds gathered in a constantly distracting and sweltering tent with rock music emanating from another nearby tent; and myself surrounded by aforementioned children and in that sweltering tent. They had much to do to keep us absorbed in their performance of Back In Time For Breakfast. I have to say though thats against my fears at the start, very surprisingly this lively show managed to do just that, and for the best part me included.

Trapped in a secluded lighthouse with her family, Millie (Laura Richardson) dreams of magical journeys and on one night with a little wish on a star, a mysterious traveler, Jasper (Dale Forder) crashes his flying ship on the island and that magical journey becomes a reality.

This little piece has been lovingly created to encapture perhaps everything required of a children's entertainment show. Its brings gurning faces, silly dancing, jolly music, bright colours and a nice collection of simple, but very effective puppets. Providing the adults who have accompanied the children to the show with entertainment is a surprising amount of intelligent storytelling of an environmental (but never ever preaching) nature. It provides the perfect balance with silly fun from those like Percy the Penguin, and onto actually quite powerful imagery of the restoration of the ocean, via the most simple of things an umbrella as a jellyfish. It all allows the children to be happily taken in by their waving of the handouts and the adults to have perhaps a few more contemplative moments.

Dale Forder and Laura Richardson

There are several really great scenes during the show, a couple of favourites being the reconstruction of the ship with all its dancing and nicely constructed rountine, and then the fabulous nit-picking monkey who happily travails the crowd to the delight of the children and some of the adults. The audience interaction pieces are perhaps the best way to gauge a success of a show like this, and pretty much most of them were loving it and eager to be the one to have the chance of tossing the old sock at the big cat (you had to be there).

Dale Forder and Laura Richardson

As performers Dale Forder and Laura Richardson do everything that you would want from a childrens show, full of highly expressive faces and lively motion, making everything deliberately bigger and bolder than it needs to be to keep those distracted eyes on them.

This likeable pairing of performers coupled with an apparently simple tale full of hidden depths provides a great little show, which when performed it a more accommodating location is absolutely sure to keep the kids thrilled. Couple that with the fact you can then get your picture taken with Percy the Penguin at the end, makes this a sure fire hit.

Performance reviewed: Sunday 21st August, 2016 at the Umbrella Fair 2016, Northampton.

Munchkins And Monsters have a website for details of upcoming shows at http://www.munchkinsandmonsterstheatre.co.uk/

Review of Cluedo 2 at Milton Keynes Theatre

Back in 2022, the original Cluedo stage play, based on a 1985 play by Sandy Rustin, itself based on the cult US film Clue , journeyed to Milton Keynes Theatre as part of a UK tour. It was, it has to be said, an average affair, made good by some excellent staging and at times a very fair tribute to the original board game. Now two years later, the success of that tour clearly warranted a return to the franchise and we find Cluedo 2 now on stage at Milton Keynes Theatre. So, is a follow-up warranted, and does it address many of the issues of the original? Let's find out. Unlike the original and with no film source material to create a second play from, legendary TV comedy writers Maurice Gran and Lawrence Mark have taken the helm to provide the script for this production. Sadly, the legendary writers have for the best part plowed through their archives of extremely dated, and tiresome comedy. Much of the script is heavy on the obvious, high on the cringe, and while at times it can

Review of UoN Fringe 2019: Unveiled by Myriad Theatre at The Platform Club, Northampton

It is safe to say I think that reviewer and show maker alike never set out to deliberately write a bad review or create a bad show. There is simply no logic in it really for the latter, I mean why would you? However when the latter occurs and the former is there in the audience, things will end badly, and for me, it gives me no enjoyment. For my penultimate show, Unveiled , at this year's University of Northampton Fringe Festival, Myriad Theatre performer Isabella Hunt explores what marriage means to her in what ends up being just 18 minutes of a show that sadly goes nowhere. Marriage to Hunt it seems involves intermittently putting on and taking off a succession of dresses, amongst a collection of anguished thoughts mostly that mainly involves an outrageously over repeated physical piece. There is some very brief interaction with the audience among the lines of "how many of you are married?" and other light thoughts, where the answers are written onto a dress, the

Review of UoN Fringe 2019: Working For The Man by Naked Truth Theatre at The Platform Club, Northampton

When looking at the prospect of the Fringe performance Working For The Man , it is slightly difficult to work out who is the bravest person involved in this remarkable one performer, one audience member show set totally within or around the edges of a car. I guess I would in my case, say myself, but it takes some daring for performer Ellie Lomas of Naked Truth Theatre to also create a piece that offers the boldness that it does. Working for the Man is perhaps unsurprisingly about the sex trade, and explores exploitation and how, or if, prostitution is taken as a serious profession. It involves no live audio dialogue from performer Ellie Lomas, instead, she inhabits a purely physical performance, that is progressed by the use of a pair of headphones which you are given at the start. Across this audio are instructions of what to do. "Get in the car", "sit in the middle seat in the back", "open the glove compartment" etc, as you move to different areas

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog