★★★★
Adelaide Fringe. The Octagon, Gluttony. 21 Feb 2021
A fast moving one hour show featuring various performers all for the kids? Excellent. On this Sunday afternoon of the first Fringe weekend the kids were primed for excitement and the crowd was noisy, especially when whipped into a small-scale frenzy by the MC.
Don’t Mess With The Dummies are a perfect opening act, the three women setting the tone and keeping the kids on a high. “They are weird campers!” said the seven year old. Not to be outdone his five year old brother added “They are silly!”. The nine year old, transfixed, thought they were great. And fun, with juggling and hula hoops and tents and sleeping bags which morphed into singing sleeping bags for Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight).
Act 2: Lisa from Big Tops Tiny Tots Circus is just excellent for the pre-teen crowd, who don’t seem to mind a lecture on good diet and the food groups built into their entertainment routine. Lisa balances spinning plates on sticks. That’s pretty much it, apart from the way in which she keeps the plates spinning through her performance and uses the audience to keep her informed. It’s all inclusive action and good stuff.
The final act were The Diamond Duo, brother and sister jugglers and trapezists Calin and Arwen, who contrive to match each other catch-for-catch in seeing whom is the best juggler of the two. They keep the kids entertained with trickier and more difficult scenarios, culminating in Calin escaping from a straitjacket while balancing on a tall unicycle.
Interest is maintained to the end, even with the bolshie five year old who was shouting a random “No, no no!” at the performance whilst his brother yells a more subdued “Yes, yes yes!”. Make of that what you will; I think they were engaged.
Overall, an outstanding hour of fun.
Alex Wheaton
When: 21 Feb to 21 Mar
Where: The Octagon, Gluttony
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
