Under the Baobab Tree

It sounded promising; an African folklore feast, full of colourful characters and wild animals. And it started well, with the three likable cast members sitting down and chatting to the young audience members for a few minutes as the seats filled up.

This colourful show has plenty to recommend it—not least the exuberance and infectious enthusiasm of storyteller Mara Menzies—but is missing the magic that would elevate it to something beyond run of the mill family theatre.

Surely, by now, theatre companies have moved beyond the aeons-old “it’s behind you” as a way of getting kids involved in a show. And surely when the appearance of a life-size crocodile puppet onstage prompts several toddlers to wail “I don’t like it", you might want to consider raising the age appropriateness rating to something older than 2+.

This is a pleasant enough family show, and if you’ve already got tickets booked then you won’t feel like you’ve wasted your money; it’s only disappointing because it promised so much more.