Pantomime is the true saviour of any festive season. So what better way to kick off the IYAF festivities than a silent pantomime? Physical theatre company C-12’s twist on the traditional show effortlessly combined dance, mime and circus and took place in the surprising setting of a market stall. The joyful mini production featured a day in the life of two fruitsellers at Kingston Market. And because no pantomime - however small - is complete without a villain, a robber lurked in the background - stealing fruit at every opportunity and awakening in me an overwhelming desire to shout ‘He’s behind you!’
However, while the child in me revelled, I couldn’t quite manage to laugh at the more ludicrous elements of the performance
However, while the child in me revelled, I couldn’t quite manage to laugh at the more ludicrous elements of the performance - the use of fruit in place of various everyday items such as mobile phones and toothbrushes, for instance. Similarly, a bizarre interlude halfway through the show during which the performers dressed up in capes and masks and performed a superhero dance, left me begging for the return of the pantomime horse.
Although, at first, the performance seemed completely random and off the wall, as the act wore on the various aspects of the show gradually fell into place, with the exception of the superhero dance break, eventually culminating in a sweet and heart-warming tale concerning the reform of the fruit hating robber.
Despite the odd missed step and prop malfunction, the fearlessness of the performers, whothrew themselves seemingly without thought, over, under and through the rickety scaffolding set saved the performance from being booed as total waste of goodfruit.
