When a show opens with the introduction of Captain Skidmark sailing the seven seas upon the good ship, Red Rubber Duckie, you know exactly the level of humour to expect for the next hour. The kind that makes small children shoot milk out of their nose.
A spectacularly silly show
Australian circus trio, Head First Acrobats have built a reputation over the last few years as a troupe who are as funny as they are skilled. Their hit show, Elixir is full of sexy moments and hilarious asides to the audience. This show appropriately doesn’t have the sex factor but certainly has the jokes - some of which are carefully fired over the heads of the little ones in order to get a chuckle from the adults.
It’s a spectacularly silly show and the many children in the audience love every minute. The circus skills on display are suitably impressive and cover all the bases from juggling to cyr wheel via acrobalance and tumbling. The finale, which see the trio finally walk the plank as a routine on the teeterboard, is high-energy with just the right level of danger for such a young audience.
The framing of a crew of pirates in search of sunken treasure is inspired and there’s a few children in the audience in full pirate costume clearly excited by the adventuring on display. As the show progresses, there’s some genuine audience interaction and some children even get to join the crew on stage to help them complete their quest. A knowingly schmaltzy (but perfectly correct) moral is tacked on the end for good measure and the show ends on a high.
