Defrosted

Just when you thought Disney’s Frozen couldn’t be any more ubiquitous than it already is. Having inspired countless YouTube covers and branding itself on every possible form of children’s merchandise, Once Upon a Parachute descends with a two-person children’s comedy which seems to exist for no other purpose than to react to Frozen songs and characters in a funny way. Snatches of dialogue and the lyrics to well-known songs from the soundtrack are frequently altered to achieve comic effect. Rather than convey anything particularly educational, the show’s main goal is to get its audience to laugh. And boy, are they good at it.

Sheer silliness which makes the show so thoroughly entertaining.

The clowns ‘Nicko’ and ‘Catty’ - Nicholas Bendall and Catherine Bellamy - are funny from the moment they strut onto the stage, displaying the right amount of exaggerated earnestness needed to captivate a young audience. Ample opportunities for audience engagement ensure that the attention of the children – squealing at Catty and Nicko and bursting into giggles at every reference to ‘poop’ – is sustained throughout. The effective use of physical comedy, puppets and even a snow-machine mean dull moments are few and far between.

The show, which revels in its own ridiculousness, contains several head-scratchingly weird episodes, for instance when Catty fishes out a pair of diapers from a freezer, and when she carries out a ‘chicken test’ on a member of the audience. Yet their comic antics were received with delight by the children and, particularly for adults, it is this sheer silliness which makes the show so thoroughly entertaining.

Admittedly Defrosted doesn’t have much of a storyline to speak of, relies heavily on the Disney film as its main source of ideas, and could certainly do with a bit more wit and a tighter structure. But for parents and children simply in search of a fun and hilarious way of spending their morning, it is unlikely to disappoint.