Tales From The Shed is a delightful interactive performance for the under-fives, where colour, magic and music fuse together to create a wonderful theatrical presentation as an alternative to early morning television. It is not so much a show but an experience. From the moment the audience enter the venue, they are encouraged to sit on the floor rather than the seats and, led by the wonderfully charismatic Charlie and Mark, a team of dedicated and enthusiastic performers go out of their way to connect with every single individual child (and adult!) throughout the performance. There is little division between actors and audience here; rather, the performers act as leaders for everyone to follow. Magic spells are taught at the beginning and everyone joins in with these at various points in the show to conjure up new characters and scenarios, much to the delight of the children around me. We meet Baby Green Monster, the Funky Monkey, Cha Cha the baby; each one provoking shrieks of delight and one child even ran up to give Funky Monkey a hug as soon as it appeared onstage. A mixture of puppetry, acrobatics and good old dressing up provides much variety in the presentation, with never a dull moment to dampen the spirits of the enthralled audience. The group of performers are all highly skilled, and excel in bonding with the audience. With wide eyes, big smiles and bags of enthusiasm and energy, they sweep the children along this theatrical journey, complete with jaunty tunes and fun choreography.It was an amazing experience to watch a room full of 2-5 year olds sit utterly entranced and enchanted for an entire hour without any signs of boredom or fidgeting, such was the power of the spell being woven. If you have young children, get yourself to this show straight away. If you don't, borrow one or just go anyway for a wonderful reminder of the power of theatre and the sheer pleasure it can bring.
