Our Honest Review: The Letterman By Barroz Productions
- Laura Vida
- 6 hours ago
- 1 min read
Age: 5+ (Official guideline). We’d say 4.5 to 7+ years is ideal.
Where: Billiard Room at Teviot13, Bristo Square
When? 8th to 31st August
Duration: c. 45 mins
Summary: Gentle, interactive clowning bringing the alphabet alive!
We enter to find the two artists in situ. Like living statue performers in lab gear, they move lethargically as I raise my camera.
The clown’s teacher-like foil engages the kids right away, asking for their names and drawing attention to the uppercase alphabet on stage. When a child struggles to think of an animal beginning with ‘F’, the clown’s legs become froggy.
The clown in this production is basically an impish schoolboy. Left to supervise him, the youngest kids yell “Naughty!” “Stay in your spot!” “Leave it!” etc. But this one’s a law unto himself. He makes silly faces at the children and silently impersonates them while they order him about. And he leaves a trail of destruction. Shattered phones, balloons, skittles etc. One little boy’s grannie also gets involved with the balloon bursting. Her grandson yells, “No! No! No!” for a good chunk of the show.
When the letters themselves begin to move, children audibly wonder how. Indeed, much of the joy in this performance is derived from the unpredictable audience intervention.
Shouting out is such fun! I fight a strong schoolgirl urge to feed mischievous ideas to my daughter. This clown is so self-satisfied, one longs to derail him!
N.B: If your child is sensitive to balloon bursting, avoid the front row!
