“children in the audience were delighted with the level of interaction and opportunities to participate”
Today the Omnibus Theatre, a small intimate theatre nestled in the corner of Clapham Common, was home to the touring family show “My Dad the Magician”.
This is a charming piece of interactive theatre perfectly pitched for ages ten and under. Tom Adams as himself tells a poignant tale of his childhood through the use of audience participation, song, dance, humour and just a little bit of magic. The story of his mum meeting his stepdad, falling in love, getting married, losing his job and moving to the seaside slowly unfolds during the course of the hour. His enthusiasm, love and passion for his family is clear to see and it is hard not to be consumed by it. The story line itself is probably pitched a little beyond some of the younger members of the audience (ranging from three upwards) but it does keep the older children and adults enthralled.
The children in the audience were delighted with the level of interaction and opportunities to participate. Whenever Tom asked for a volunteer there was a raft of hands waving in the air keen to be chosen! Sometimes relying on the audience to respond can crush a show but Tom has the ability to keep the children engaged! A bit of a feat of magic in itself.
The set was simple and props had a homemade air, which added to the wholesomeness of the show. This is a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend an hour – if you have a small child and it’s on tour near you I urge you to pop along!
“this lyrical and twisted journey to the dark North succeeded in delivery magic but lacked spectacle”
Christopher Harrison’s solo show, The North! The North!, is an unsettling story set in a fractured late 20th Century England. A modern myth – spanning several decades – of a country split in two, and one man’s personal journey to find redemption and close the gap.
Written, performed and animated by Christopher Harrison and directed by John Walton, The North! The North!, uses highly physical storytelling, combined with animation, dreamlike puppetry and Magical Realism elements to deliver this dystopian tale. Despite nods to Magical Realism, the drab tarpaulin backdrop and chipboard workbenches, which comprise the set, felt distinctly English which succeeded in keeping the audience more rooted in Bradford than Bogota. Harrison’s haunting animations were set to be projected on-stage to immerse the audience further into bleak Northern Blighty, but unfortunately technical difficulties failed to deliver this vision.
Ecole Jacques Lecoq trained Harrison is a master storyteller and animator, however his performances of the eccentric array of characters that people this play, from hitchhiker to gunsmith, at times felt flat and lacked nuance. Despite this, his frenetic physicality and dexterous mime demonstrated great skill. Arguably the most captivating moments came from his ingenious use of puppetry, using tissue paper to build characters of genuine emotional depth.
Overall this lyrical and twisted journey to the dark North succeeded in delivering magic but lacked spectacle. However, I am sure Harrison’s vision would have been enhanced greatly with his promised projected animations.
