Delightful kids theatre

By Narelle Wood

Curiosity performed by acrobatic group Dislocate, is a charming theatrical journey in to a land beyond the bottom of the toy box. Alex is an adventurer and very curious, which means we meet lots of interesting characters along the way.

Alex is in trouble, preferring to use her brother’s skateboard for a mode of transportation rather than clean up her mess. Unfortunately for Alex she gets into more trouble trying to explain that she is cleaning up, and this is where the slapstick theatrics begin. Once Alex discovers the new and colourful land she finds herself climbing, tumbling and twisting her way through the land of Curiosity.

The acrobatics are very cool; my three-year old nephew was transfixed by all the chairs, ladders and tossing people in the air. The biggest winners for Darragh though were the acrobatic ribbons (this was met with very enthusiastic applause) and what he describes as the ‘sad monster robot’ who was playing hide and seek on stilts. Many of the older kids found themselves interacting with Alex and helping her through her adventures.

The show is very cleverly written; I found myself laughing at jokes and watching the performance in just as much amazement as the kids. And like many good kids show Alex learns a lot about herself along the way, like how to solve problems and be respectful.

The set and prop use was impressive. There was never too much happening on stage and the performance made smart use of the space, including several scenes towards the ceiling and scene that found itself at the back of the theatre.

Curiosity is a simple and enchanting story that is sure to enthrall and entertain young and old. I highly recommend, a lovely way to spend an hour with some little ones.

Venue: The Melba Spiegeltent, 35 Johnston St, Collingwood
Season: 17-24 October Wed-Fri 10.30am & 2.30pm Sat 10.30am & 12.30pm
Tickets: Full $18 Children four and under free
Bookings: themelba.eventbrite.com.au

Image by Rob Blackburn