The Bahoukies
The Ultimate Fairytale
We like telling stories. We like funny stories, scary stories and stories that you help us to make up. We'll let you bring your grown-ups with you, but they don't usually have the best ideas. The Bahoukies are a Midlothian based company specialising in interactive theatre for primary age pupils.
Join Professor Higgenbottom as she tries to develop the formula for the ultimate fairytale. What happens when handsome princes lock swords, pretty princesses act dumb, and the wicked stepmother just won't take a hint? A fast-paced comic journey through all the tales that you know best – with audience participation too!
Performances:
11th to 16th August
Price:
£6.00 (£3.00) »
Performance was enjoyable with many .... gems of improvisation.
Contrary to a belief held by many, writing anything for children is difficult especially if you have to entertain adults at the same time.
At their inaugural performance of “The Ultimate Fairytale”, The Bahoukies had to contend with many children below their 5+years billing and a good number of non-parent adults.
Prior to entering the show, the audience was quizzed on their favourite fairytales and characters, ostensibly to weave into an improvisation. Obviously the predictable data meant that the story line had been previously written and rehearsed with minimal deviation required. A good trick to play on children and gullible adults.
The progression of the show was to lampoon the major action scenes of some of the better known traditional fairy stories and assemble them into the Ultimate Fairytale.
Audience participation was encouraged and the prompt cards were good but could have been utilized more especially for a very young audience which loves to be told when to boo and cheer the characters.
The costumes and props were minimal but very effective and well utilized by the cast. The “Ultimate Fairytale Formula” had enormous potential but was little used and discarded early in the performance. I hope the Bahoukies explore this in future productions.
Allusions to television were probably good for their target audience but were sometimes lost on their actual audience.
The occasional one liners dropped for the more mature such as “there are no Republics in Fairytales” and a bit of camping up by gay princes received the odd chuckle around the room.
Overall the performance was enjoyable with many of those little gems of improvisation from a cast which, though young and inexperienced, is confident and has high potential.
Ian Stevenson