Greek Myths For Kids

****

4 stars

This was a truly interesting show, incorporating some good old fashioned historic tales in a lively and modern manner ensuring that even the youngest members of the audience were involved in the story, and involved they were! At every given oppurtunity, the young and fresh cast members wasted no time in tasking the audience with sound effects and jobs, which were accepted with great enthusiasm.

The use of puppetry was well executed and the props and shadowplay all added to an exciting experience for all of the audience, both children and adults alike. The selection of stories were a good choice which all blended together nicely to make the show an enjoyable and educational one.

This show is an integral part of the Fringe, offering variety and fun all in the same show.

Reviewed by Kath.

C eca, Edinburgh College of Art

August 3rd-29th

14.15  (55 mins)

Bagpuss

****

4 Stars

This was a delightful treat to watch, wasn’t sure who got more from this, the parents or the children! The loveable stories were told in a clear, enjoyable fashion, with oppurtunities to join in and sing, making this a great experience for the little ones and a truly nostalgic one for the grown-ups!

There were only two actresses on the stage, making this quite an intimate experience but this was soon forgotten once the familiar characters and sounds made an appearance, even Professor Yaffle was there along with the Mice and Madeline, pulling you into the stories as they went.

This is listed in the childrens section of the Fringe Guide but there is as much to entertain the adults and their child within as there is to delight and enthrall the youngsters and their imaginations.

Reviewed by Kath

Assembly George Square

August 3-28th

12.00 (55 mins)

Hairy Maclary and Friends

*****

5 Stars.

From start to finish, this was a thoroughly energetic and fun show, was hugely interactive and all the children delighted in participating with the singing, sound effects and picture spotting! The songs are fun and extremely catchy and I was still hearing them hours later!

Despite this performance being a preview, I felt that the show was put together well and acted out to a high standard, the costumes and sets were amusing and well done, making it easy for the children to follow the show and the stories contained within it. 

The cast also seemed to be thoroughly enjoying what they were doing and this enthusiasm was infectious, pulling the audience in from the off.

Fans of the storybooks cannot fail to enjoy this performance and every child should see this.

Reviewed by Kath.

Assembly George Square

August 3-20

10.30 am (55 mins)

I Didn’t Mean to be a Virgin in the 80’s – Laura Hayden

2 Stars

**

Laura Hayden has an impressive cv in the  USA and has been performing for a decade or more as a stand-up and comedy actress so this story, what is in essence the story of her life at that time should have been a walk in the park. But somehow it missed the mark.

From the onset the multimedia show left me feel a bit uncomfortable. TV’ s churning out relevant information from the time I found slightly distracting, sound bites of music to illustrate point in the story, in inclusion of movie clips compounded the feeling.

But although stating from the start that she needed a sat nov for her brain as she tended to wander, I found that the show, presented as a monologue should have been more structured.

Okay it was performance one, Ms Hayden was anxious, which did come across quite a lot, this will go, there were a couple of technical issues which will be ironed out, but although this wasn’t a bad show, it certainly didn’t do it  for me. I felt that for what was billed as a comedy was rather short of laughs and those that were there were merely chuckles.

 Reviewed by Geoff

 Sweet Apex Hotel

4 to 29 August

16:05 to 16:55

Fringe Brochure P 90