The story of the ugly duckling is well-known; and entirely apposite for our strange times. Although somewhat preposterous that we have to keep banging the same drum in 2024, it seems that reminding ourselves to lay off the bullying and prejudice based solely on looking different has never been more important.
Slick, clever, and hugely entertaining
First premiering in 1993, Stiles and Drewe's 'poultry' tale of life down on the farm is a catchy, witty and warm adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairtyale.
At the heart of the piece are Drake and Ida, eagerly anticipating the hatching of their chicks. But when one of the eggs turns out to be rather more of a honker than a quacker, a coming-of-age tale is unleashed that sees our ungainly hero pit his wits against a wily cat, freezing conditions and the doubts of his own family before being granted his happy ending.
Cup and Dagger productions - under the direction of Sam Munday-Webb - have created a slick, clever and hugely entertaining piece which is one of the few shows you can take the entire family to and be guaranteed laughs, smiles, tears and engagement throughout.
The cast multi-role a variety of characters with immediacy and some solid comic chops and there are some beautiful individual performances: notably a charming Alex Mather as the gawky and unloved Ugly. The melodies are all toe-tappers, and under the leaderhip of MD Alex Tester, the cast raise the roof with some high-energy numbers which pastiche a variety of Broadway genres. This is where the performers are at their very best: big set-pieces which showcase ambitious choreography and confident execution to excellent effect.
Honk is an absolute banger (and banker) of a show; and the perfect way to start your Fringe day for children of all ages.
