Giving out free bottles of bubbles to children on the way in to the theatre is a sure way to get them in the mood for a good time. It’s the equivalents of handing out free money to adults on the way to the bank.
Smelly feet are a problem we have all suffered from at some point in our lives, but few will have contemplated trying the experimental cures we saw in the show. The story is led by oversized seven year old Danny (Paul Cregan) - brilliantly channelling his inner child - who introduces us to his sister sally (Pippa Reid) and crucially his friend Pete (Grant Keelan) with cheese feet, which of course the story is based around.
Danny has lots of energy and immediately won over the one or two young ones in the audience who weren’t captivated by the bubbles. He addressed the audience with ease and confidence, and had the children singing along to the catchy songs in minutes. The show starts with what could be described as stand-up comedy for kids, done in the most skilful way. The story is easy to follow, with the ideal pace to keep lots of potential wrigglers fixed in place.
We saw a few interesting and imaginative ways of how you might go about getting rid of cheesy feet. At the end we realised that the bubbles we’ve been bribed with at the door are not only for fun on the journey home, but also for us to assist in the cure of Pete’s pong.
At times the songs used to tell the story, though sung well, drag a little and the cast are in danger of losing the audience’s attention. For this show to appeal to an age group younger than four it would need to be more visually eye catching, either by set or costume. However, if you have a four to eight year old with smelly feet and a penchant for snails then this is the show to take them to. They will not only have fun but you’ll never have to force them to change their socks again.
Smelly Feet is of high quality, the story is well told and the characters are endearing. So join Danny, Sally and Pete and no longer will you have to worry about smelly little feet.
