Tag Archives: Family Theatre

The Complete History of Europe (More or Less) – Edinburgh Fringe Review

More or Less Theatre

C Chambers Street

26/08/17

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Fitting about 5000 years of European history in to an hour-long show is no mean feat, but Malcom Galea and Joseph Zammit of More or Less Theatre do so with a generous helping of gusto and mischief. The Complete History of Europe (More or Less), takes its audience through a whistle-stop tour of European history, covering events from the Bronze Age to Brexit, dispensing lots of facts (and a little bit of fiction) on the way.

The performers make a strong double act, with Zammit playing the joker, while Galea plays the more straight-laced, long-suffering historian of the pair. Zammit’s character provides gags aplenty as he plays on puns of historical figures’ names, devises ridiculous characterisations and appears in increasingly outlandish costumes. The combination of fast-fact delivery and comedy is reminiscent of Terry Deary’s successful Horrible Histories, though More or Less Theatre provide their own distinctive, theatrical style. The structure of the production, with a large map of Europe in the centre, onto which the performers stick labels of the important events they cover, is simple and open but bright and engaging. Their final song about the European Union is a definite highlight, blending comedy, history and politics in a family friendly song. The self-awareness of the performances suits the style and subject of the production, adding to the comedy with lines such as the one referencing James Watt’s “perfectly serviceable Scottish accent” safeguarding this theatrical history lesson from ever taking itself too seriously.

Even as a grown up, a bit of a history nerd, and someone who studied history all the way through to my Leaving Certificate, I learned some new facts during this jam-packed show; as a family show this production really has something for everyone. The Complete History of Europe (More or Less) is a feast of laughter and learning that’s not to be missed.

Me and My Bee -Edinburgh Fringe Review

ThisEgg

Pleasance Courtyard

26/08/17

bee

Bees are pretty tiny. Humans are pretty big. Even so, we humans depend on bees much than we realise. As Josie, Greta and Joe are here to tell us, without bees (who pollinate 70 of the top 100 crop species that feed 90% of the worlds population) our way of life would change forever; avocado toast would be no more, but millenials still wouldn’t be buying houses because our economies would probably crash as bees unwittingly sustain many of our multi-billion euro industries. But bees are in danger, human actions such as the use of pesticides, mass production of single crops, industrial development, and the increase in global warming all contribute to the decimation of bee populations worldwide.

ThisEgg Theatre Company’s production Me and My Bee takes a serious, though comedy-filled look at the plight of bees in our world. After meeting a bee named Joe, Greta and Josie set up “The Bee Party,” a political party, disguised as a party, disguised as a show, to protect and support bees. They want to win the audience over to joining the party, and in order to do so they have decided to share Joe, the bee’s sad tale of losing the beloved flower he pollinates. Creating engaging characters, including the truly memorable, somewhat power-hungry party leader, Josie, ThisEgg blend their important message with an entertaining performance so, while there is no doubt that the show is intended to educate its audience about the importance of consciously protecting our bee populations, it feels less like a lesson and more like a party.

There are a couple of points at which the narrative progresses a little slowly, but in all the production is energetic and interesting, with simple but effective, bright and colourful lighting and stage design that appeals to the upbeat nature of this political party disguised as a party disguised as a show. The flipchart which is used throughout serves to reiterate the information given in the show and encapsulates the blend of information and entertainment that characterises the production.

Giving each audience member a role as a solitary bee (for example, I was a mason bee in their “focus group”) and presenting them with a party bag of flower seeds on their way out of the auditorium, the production involves the audience in its message and empowers them to act on it after leaving the theatre. Me and My Bee is a production that does not skimp on the gravity of its message while it has fun and ensures its audience does too.

Dr Zeiffal, Dr Zeigal and the Hippo That Can Never Be Caught – Edinburgh Fringe Review

Mouths of Lions

Assemby Roxy

26/08/17

zeiffal

Have you ever spotted a wild hippopotamus of the “United K.?”

What’s that? There aren’t any hippos here you say?

Well that is where you would be wrong. Dr. Zeiffal (Georgia Murphy) and Dr. Zeigal (Oliver Weatherly) have been studying Hippopotami for years; they have all of the special equipment, their hippo map for tracking sightings, and their special hippo packaging. However, despite tracking many sightings, the problem is, Dr. Zeiffal and Dr. Zeigal have never actually seen a hippo, but they hope that will change as a wild hippo has been spotted right here in Edinburgh.

Dr. Zeiffal (with help from her assistant, Dr. Zeigal) takes her audience of hippo enthusiasts through a lesson on hippopotami and how to catch them. Upon learning that she may finally get the chance to see a wild hippo, it’s panic stations as Dr. Zeiffal, Dr. Zeigal and the audience try to catch a glimpse of the infamous hippo. After putting on their Hippo Google Goggles and learning the hippo signal, the audience is equipped to warn the performers when the hippo appears, but it’s not as easy as all that; Murphy and Weatherly deliver high calibre classic comedy as they frantically chase a hippopotamus around the theatre.

The production is well paced, involving the audience in the action and playing well to the room. Both Murphy and Weatherly have strong stage presence; Murphy delights as the eccentric Dr. Zeiffal, developing a memorably frenetic and enthusiastic character, while Weatherly demonstrates versatility in his performance as he doubles as the haphazard Zeigal and the elusive but sweet hippopotamus.  The direction and the writing both adeptly cater to the younger and older members of the audience, with well-executed physical comedy, verbal jokes and word play providing laughs for all ages.

If you think you know all that you need to know about hippopotami, I guarantee you will find something new in this production; I bet you didn’t know that hippos are terrified of umbrellas, and I’m sure you have never seen an invisible hippo-catching blanket!

Well…you still won’t exactly see the invisible hippo-catching blanket, but you’ll see its effects in this exuberant and entertaining show that is fun for all ages. Dr Zeiffal, Dr. Zeigal and the Hippo That Can Never Be Caught is a hilarious and clever production that uses tried and tested comic techniques to make a fresh and energetic piece of family theatre.

Half Light – Review

The New Theatre

Tiger Dublin Fringe

16/09/16

haflight

Written and directed by Mollie Molumby, Half Light is a beautiful family show. A lesson in the art of storytelling, this production tells the story of Robin, a young boy who traverses his father’s storybook world to save his missing Dad from a monster.

In this seemingly simple story Molumby makes powerful use of fantasy to deal with reality. More complex than it initially seems, Half Light is a family show that does not shy away from the dark. As the show progresses, we see that Robin is learning not just that things can be difficult in story-books, with monsters, blizzards and bad guys, but that sometimes people deal with other kinds of difficulties in real life too.

Molumby’s sparkling script is brought to the stage with enthusiasm and energy by the cast. Fionn Foley delivers a spirited performance as Robin, playing with the audience with ease and capturing the bright-eyed eagerness of the character. The rest of the cast multitask impressively as they double as musicians, characters and narrators. They perform Foley’s compositions with vivacity and skill, never taking it too seriously, but always giving it their all.

Half Light is a well-crafted, insightful piece of theatre that is a pleasure to watch.