Adelaie Fringe. A-List Entertainment. Royalty Theatre. 2 Mar 2014
Waiting outside the Royalty Theatre one could sense a palpable air of excitement... and thatʼs just from the adults that the children had brought along with them. The reason? David Collins (half of the duo, The Umbilical Brothers). The children might not have realised what they were in for, but their parents certainly would have.
The anticipation continued once inside the vast old worldly auditorium with its red velvet curtains and faded opulence. How would The Luck Child, a one man show, go down at 10am on a Sunday morning?
Very well indeed, going by the continuos giggles from the 4 to 10 year old target audience and the laughs from the adults. Collins maintained connection with his wide age ranging audience through most of the 45 minute show apart from a couple of lapses, but as he quipped during the bows at the end: Who gets up at 10am on a Sunday morning? And the storyline? Surprisingly complex for a childrenʼs show, but made very accessible by Collinʼs skill as a mime artist, beat boxer, physical and vocal gymnast.
Set in medieval times far far away... or nearer depending on your mode of travel. Very close if you are using a flying dragon. The good wizard divines that the evil king will search out and kill the seventh born of the seventh child now grown into a man with six children and a very pregnant wife. The wizard sets out to find the child (as does the king). Mix in a mysterious river boatman, a large monkey and an impoverished travelling circus owner, and you get the makings of a cleaver vehicle for Collinʼs suburb range of physical and vocal skills.
The set? What looked like a collection of grey cardboard boxes stuck together forming a sort of mini wall. As the show opened up, so did the set. It morphed into a castle, a cave, a door and courtyard, and a few other things besides. Skilfully used by Collins to support the storyʼs journey. Simple but effective lighting and just a small dollop of pre-recorded sound which never detracted from Collinʼs performance presence.
Even the bows were fun, as all of Collinʼs characters (and there were many), took their bows - including the three headed dog. At the end of the bows, Collins explainied to the children in the audience that this is what live theatre was all about and that he would be available in the foyer to be photographed by them; to be in photographs with them... whatever.
A generous performer. An old fashioned story telling experience by an artist with singular vocal, physical, mime skills that appealed to a very young audience and to the inner child in the adults accompanying them.
Martin Christmas
When: 7 to 16 Mar
Where: Royalty Theatre
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
