Reviewed by Paul Davies
September 2013
What sort of a lunatic organises nearly seventy kids (I tried to count them at one point) of all ages, heights, and abilities into an evening’s entertainment that is effectively two shows rather than one?
The first half; The Enchanted Toyshop is a delightful tale of good and evil and of reconciliation. It stated with everyone on stage before you knew it, and just went from one high to the next. My seven-year-old son who joined me said his favourite was the Mr Potato Head running gag. But to be fair I had to twist his arm to get him to choose, there were many stand-outs, -Elvis, Punch and Judy, the toy hospital nurse, Fireman Sam, The Toy Soldiers, And Dexter and Mr Peel, the latter being like the love-child of Rick Mayall and Chico Marx!
The stand-outs in this sort of ensemble are always the ones who smile. Rule one: Smile! Even if you’re a bit self-conscious, -You’ll get noticed, and you’ll get away with anything!
The second half; Shouts got Talent is a great way to showcase the various and varied talents of this cast. It’s tough to pick my favourite too, but you can’t go past a seven foot shoe, and blokes in drag. –Hilarious fellers!
There is, they say, a fine line between lunacy and genius, this lunatic concept and all that hard work has paid off, and brought out some genius performances, some life-long memories, and quite possibly some stars of the future. We went home smiling, sharing and laughing.
