To riff further on a subject of constant consternation for me, it must be beyond challenging to design and perform a children’s show. Who can pinpoint with any accuracy what the little ones will find funny or boring, entertaining or tiresome? Regardless of the source of the entertainment, it is immediately obvious when a kid’s show is popular with its audience, and “ARRR is for Adventure” is one of those shows.
Featuring minimal dialogue, solo performer Pirateman immediately enthralled his audience by wordlessly narrating the standard circumstances of a pirate ship ending up wrecked on a desert island, before finding the ubiquitous map and searching for treasure. Apart from very effectively hyping up the audience by encouraging rousing pirate cries (hint – this was not popular with very small kids, so perhaps leave young babies at home), the majority of the show comprised mild slapstick humour and minor but impressive acrobatic feats such as juggling and very cleverly manipulating a crystal sphere.
Although some of the gags were a bit too long and relied very heavily on audience volunteers (making me wonder if the show would have been any good if the volunteer had not been as enthusiastic or open to laughing at herself as happened to be the case), overall “ARRR” is indeed a rollicking adventure for young and old Fringe-goers. Essentially, it is light entertainment, performed well and tailored to the target audience.
If you’re looking for a fun way to entertain the kids, and yourself, bring along the family to join in the adventure. You won’t regret it.
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