The Song of Fergus and Kate

Aug 21 2022 | By More

★★★☆☆      Appealing

Gilded Balloon Teviot (Venue 14): Wed 3 – Sun 28 Aug 2022
Review by Hugh Simpson

Watch This Space Productions’ The Song of Fergus and Kate at the Gilded Balloon Wine Bar in Teviot is an agreeable miniature, not always thought through but full of endearing moments.

Jay Lafferty’s solo children’s show, also featuring animations by Henry Cruikshank, tells a gentle story of friendship and tolerance. Fergus, whose curvature of the spine leads to him being shunned and teased, makes friends with a girl named Kate.

Jay Laferty in The Song of Fergus and Kate. Pic: Watch this Space

The show is advertised as being suitable for ages 0-8, and there is certainly a great deal to stimulate the very youngest audience members, with sensory stimulation from material and rattles.

As befits an experienced comedian and compere, Lafferty deals well with the gleeful anarchy this entails. The show starts with some very well judged audience participation; the beach-side setting being ideal for all kinds of joining in.

The actual story, however, despite the charming animations, is another matter. The vocabulary is often advanced, and it tends to be told at such a speed (and obscured by DaveBeMac’s apt music) that it is difficult to follow for anyone, let alone young children. This leads to attention wandering, although Lafferty is always able to bring them back in the end.

It may not be perfect, but there are so many youngsters who have missed out on their first experiences of live performance due to lockdown that non-judgemental, inviting productions like this are extremely important.

Running time 40 minutes (no interval)
Gilded Balloon Teviot (Wine Bar), Teviot Row House, EH8 9AJ, (Venue 14)
Wednesday 3 – Sunday 28 August 2022
Daily (not 10, 17, 22 – 24): 10:15.
Information and tickets: Book here.

Company website: https://www.watchthisspaceproductions.com
Instagram: @watchthisspaceproductions
Twitter: @productionsWTS

ENDS

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