It’s hard, a lot of the time, to find comedy that appeals to both children and adults. Quite simply, there is a limited amount of overlapping interests between the two groups. This can be hard on parents, who, midway through the Fringe, might find themselves tempted to scream if they encounter just one more singing puppet. Enter The Breakfast Club.
Almost from the second one walks into The Breakfast Club, it’s clear this is a different type of show. Sitting right at the entrance is a table full of free coffee, tea, and chocolate brioches. Further into the venue, chairs are set up clustered around tables in front of the stage. The tables in turn are covered with paper and adorned with small boxes of crayons, in case artistic inspiration should strike any youngsters during the performance.
The show was hosted by Mickey D, who MCs with an entertaining bit of stand-up, and introduced various family-friendly acts from the Fringe. First up on Friday morning was Geoff Norcott, a former teacher turned stand-up. His previous profession seemed to stand him in good stead for this set, judging by the constant laughter from the audience. His impressions were by far the highlight of the set. Not only were they dead-on, but his account of how he punished a child by speaking in Smeagol’s voice had both the under and over ten demographic of the audience in stitches.
Following Norcott were Morgan and West, time-traveling magicians. With skilled tricks and witty banter, the pair kept the audience well entertained, even if they did have to kill off their pet balloon doggy to achieve one stunt.
The ending act was comedian James Acaster, who asked the audience to help him compose a letter to his mom. Unfortunately, Acaster forgot that five-year-olds can be fairly cutting, and the letter consisted of sentences such as “I am competing to be the smelliest man in the world” and “I am shouting at people in a big tent.” The younger portions of the audience, however, seemed to find these witticisms hilarious, so Acaster can still count the letter a success.
Although The Breakfast Club features different acts from day-to-day, if the sampling from this performance was any example, they will all provide excellent entertainment. For parents looking for an amusing time with no risk of committing puppetcide, The Breakfast Club might be just the place to go. And partaking of free tea, coffee and brioche is always a plus.
