This energetic cast and their enthusiasm make this a genuinely enjoyable performance. This production, bar it’s dodgy secondary school grade backing tracks, is full of ‘tingle’ moments to make the hairs on your neck stand up. Mr and Mrs Mayor’s duets, Horton and Jojo’s interactions and the cat delivering his first powerful monologue, to name a few.
The problem with double casting twins in a series of principal roles is that we’re never really sure which one is singing, but for Daniel and James Templeton, this isn’t a problem, both are fantastic performers. From their first entrances to the final curtains, whichever one was on stage owned the space and made it theirs, and when you’re playing a very naughty cat in a hat, so you should.
This show belongs to Richard Cooper, though. His voice is a pleasure to listen to, subtle and well toned and every song his character of Horton the Elephant is involved with, was cute and charming. Good too is the feisty and fiery soul voice of Laurie Brown, the Sour Kangaroo.
The singing was so strong, powerful and accurate and the space is small enough that you wonder if they need the temperamental radio mics that cut in and out produced a whole level of unnecessary sound.
The final scenes have a definite cute factor as our elephant friend is reunited with the Whos and the testament of this show comes as the entire audience, young and old, sit in silence and awe for the final reprises.Without doubt, this is a great family musical at Fringe.
