The not-so-silent clown Mr Pineapple Head had children in stitches this Saturday afternoon. Tentatively, peeping onto the stage Mr Pineapple Head welcomed his eager audience, who were mainly age five and under, and began his one man show. Jaunty music accompanied his magic acts, which consisted of juggling, puppetry, bubbles and balloons. Simple techniques and props enabled the clown to spring to life on stage; for example, he stuck red gaffer tape on his nose at the start of the performance which remained precariously fixed throughout. The identifiable ‘Pineapple Head’ itself wasn’t seen until half way through the hour long performance and was a little disappointing. The shabby blue hat with a pineapple on top was exactly that and didn’t have anything particularly magical to offer. However, Mr Pineapple Head’s physical actions made up for the worn-out costume. His slapstick comedy and toilet humour had children giggling throughout and desperate to join the caring clown up on stage. Children were invited on stage to burst bubbles and spin plates.
The audience didn’t witness the most spectacular magic tricks, but old favourites didn’t fail to disappoint, and were executed slickly. The most exciting part of the performance was an energetic slapstick routine with a snake puppet, made from the sleeve of Mr Pineapple Head’s coat, which had children squealing as it jumped out into the audience, before recoiling back into the box of magic tricks. It would have been good to see this high level of energy and pace from the beginning of the performance, which seemed a little slow to start. However, it certainly finished with a bang with an ever-growing magic wand hopping around the stage, encompassing the hard-working entertainer, Mr Pineapple Head.
