Kids

Fireman Sam - To the Rescue!

Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Fri 8-Sun 10 Sep

1 Sep 2006

Fireman Sam - To the Rescue! at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Daren King

Mouse Noses on Toast (Faber)

1 Sep 2006

CHILDREN’S TALE The number of authors who shift from adult to kids fiction per year probably matches the annual rumour count about who will be killed off in the next Harry Potter. The news that Daren King was to make the shift was less of a shock…

Singalonga Showtune with Sister Mary McArthur

21 Aug 2006

You have to wonder who this show is really for - children, or the musical-loving grown-ups who bring them along. The average 4-year-old is unlikely to be au fait with the lyrics of ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’, but judging by the lively chorus…

Rainbow Fish, The

21 Aug 2006

Exploring themes of friendship and sharing, Blunderbus Theatre Company adapt Marcus Pfister’s popular storybook for the stage. She may be the most beautiful creature in the ocean, but the eponymous fish is ugly on the inside, and friends are thin on the…

Gruffalo's Child, The

17 Aug 2006

Sequels are notoriously tricky affairs, rarely living up to their original. But once again, children’s theatre company, Tall Stories have proved they’re incapable of staging a bad show. This clever adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s picture book is every…

Silly Billy Bum Breath

14 Aug 2006

Children’s theatre comes in so many forms these days, from puppets and plays to stand-ups and sing-a-longs. The comic sketch show, however, has remained pretty much in the adult domain. That is until Laura Black and Feri Tezcan crashed the Fringe kiddie…

Alice Through the Looking Glass

14 Aug 2006

It’s a morose sort of Wonderland in which Alice finds herself, when she stumbles through the looking glass in InsideOut’s languid production. Rather than being entertained or amused by her encounters with the succession of surreal Lewis Carroll figures…

Cutlery Wars

14 Aug 2006

Written by kids comic, James Campbell, this new play owns up from the start. There are ‘no songs, joining in or happy endings’, states the Fringe programme. What it doesn’t say, however, is that aside from the odd joke about shaving legs, this really…

Knight Time

14 Aug 2006

Scratch Productions show is stunning evidence of what one man in a theatre space can conjure up. The solo performer employs his array of accents and a huge, stage-filling presence, as well as some lovely, stringy puppets to recreate the annual Knight…

Them With Tails/Professor Bumm's Story Machine

11 Aug 2006

Children are better versed in improvisation than adults. Watch them playing and you’ll see the art of making-it-up-as-you-go-along being practised to a high level. That’s possibly why grown-up performers have been slow to get in on the act. This…

King's Got Donkey's Ears, The!

11 Aug 2006

What a Fringe gem this turned out to be. Puppeteer Andy Lawrence is a born storyteller, engaging the audience with playful banter in between the narrative, while his puppets are full of character, whether they’re playing instruments, riding unicycles or…

Man Who Planted Trees, The

11 Aug 2006

Puppet State Theatre’s Company’s winning adaptation of Jean Giono’s classic story is prefaced with a conversation between the narrator and his deadpan Dog (the undisputed star of the show). The poor mutt feels disgruntled following a visit to the…

Muttnik, the First Dog in Space

11 Aug 2006

Niki McCretton’s version of the true story of Laika the first Russian space dog (dubbed Muttnik by the Americans) represents kids physical theatre at its most simple but effective. The tone alternates between melancholic and slapstick, lending the piece…

Shoe Baby

11 Aug 2006

She knows how to have fun does Shoe Baby. Using footwear as her preferred mode of transport, she journeys through the air, over the sea and off to a zoo. Recently awarded ‘Best Children’s Show’ at this year’s Brighton Festival, Shoe Baby is a magical…

Acrobat, The

7 Aug 2006

Talk about trade descriptions. Let it be known that there’s nothing acrobatic about The Acrobat. In fact, Carlo Adinolfi is not even an especially pleasing mover, though he does insist on doing several uninteresting dance sequences. No, this oddly…

Jim Henson's Muppet Improv - For Kids!

7 Aug 2006

Having performed on TV shows like The Simpsons and Sesame Street, the puppeteering and vocal action of these guys is second to none. And while the laughs aren’t exactly thick and fast (clearly the performers benefit from the kind of well-crafted script…

Pandora’s Box

7 Aug 2006

Don’t let your curiosity get the better of you. Don’t fly too close to the sun. Don’t open the box... The discovery of a mysterious chest on the beach, leads an inquisitive brother and sister and a displaced surfer dude to act out a selection of the…

Hillbilly Goats Gruff

7 Aug 2006

The Three Billy Goats Gruff have relocated to the Tennessee Mountains, in this run re-working of the popular tale. Bored with their field and longing for the sweet green grass across the bridge, little Billy Joe and his two siblings brave the wrath of…

Treasure Island

7 Aug 2006

Pirates are all the rage at the moment thanks to Johnny Depp and the ghostly Black Pearl, which makes a great opportunity to revisit Stevenson’s classic adventure. Spotlites Theatre Company are setting sail for Treasure Island, and you, the audience…

Lollipopman and the Rabbit of Doom

7 Aug 2006

Any stage show that relies heavily on technology is always a bit of a worry. And the interaction between live performer and unpredictable animated projections occasionally inhibits the flow of this unlikely superhero romp. That said, this is an…

Wild Things

5 Aug 2006

Meet Jack - a little boy who would give Supernanny a run for her money. Committed to a life of naughtiness, Jack regularly taunts the girl next door, scares his mum and ties up his gran. Until finally, he runs away from home to avoid the constant…

Singalonga Show Tunes with Sister Mary McArthur

5 Aug 2006

5 questions Singing nun SISTER MARY MCARTHUR, aka Tim McArthur, tells us all about her musical habits. Your 5 favourite musicals 1. Mary Poppins - great name, great lady. 2. Beauty & The Beast - classic love story of ugly person meets…

Random Aspekts

5 Aug 2006

Caps, hooded tops, tracksuit bottoms - a few of the more traditional clothes worn by your average breakdancer. Random Aspekts, however, have a more unconventional item hanging in their Dance Base dressing room - pyjamas. The Scottish four-piece…

Dr Bunhead - Volcano Head

3 Aug 2006

Now you know why your parents told you never to play with matches. Pretty much all of Dr Bunhead’s show comes with a ‘don’t try this at home’ warning. Although a few brave volunteers who head up to the stage can enjoy his particular brand of…

Gruffalo and Friends, The

27 Jul 2006

Imagine hearing Charles Dickens read Great Expectations, or watching Jack Kerouac act out On The Road. Well that’s pretty much how the audience at The Gruffalo and Friends will feel this August. For young picture book readers (and even younger…

Scotty and Lulu

27 Jul 2006

As SCOTTY & LULU prepare to send the toddler fraternity into a jumping frenzy, they talk to us about their new show, Whoopee! 5 reasons why kids will love Whoopee! 1. If you love to laugh. 2. And dance on your seat. 3. To shout out…

Comedy Club 4 Kids, The

27 Jul 2006

A comedy club for kids? It’s mad, crazy and deranged, but it might just work. In fact the first ever comedy club for kids has been up and running for a year, with great success. The brainchild of stand-up comedian, James Campbell, the show has its nerve…

Adventures of Tom Thumb, The

27 Jul 2006

Everyone knows the story of Tom Thumb, the boy who was perfect in every way but no longer than a thumb, who endured harrowing adventures down a mouse’s hole, inside a cow’s belly and a wolf’s paunch. But Blue Scream Theatre’s production goes one step…