Children's show review: The Dragon And The Whales, Assembly Roxy
'If anyone wants to say goodbye to the puppets, just come up,' the performers tell us at the end of this show for three-to-ten-year-olds.
The Dragon And The Whales, Assembly Roxy (Venue 139) ***
It’s a mark of how successful Modest Predicament’s lo-fi inventiveness is that a small queue forms.
A dragon entrusts her egg to the whales, but the baby dragon must reach the surface to let the fire in its heart burn. Even for a show for the very young, there’s no real sense of danger (pirates are only introduced to sing a song that’s quite rude about their personal hygiene). However, the homemade creativity is ingenious; the dragon is a lampshade attached to a extractor-fan vent with an umbrella for wings but the skilled puppetry give it real personality.
Similar low-budget invention – a bubble gun, basically – is used to create the depths of the sea which should fire many a young imagination showing them they can attempt this sort of storytelling at home.
The best aspect, however, was a young man in the front row who provided a running commentary on the show. “Doggie!” he shouted delightedly when the dragon first appeared. Then, as it unfolded its wings: “flying doggie!”
• Until 27 August, noon