I have always been of the belief that children’s shows require an element of the surreal for both the captivation of the children, and piquing the interest of the parents that pay for them. Unfortunately what Sticky Back Theatre has created in “The Fall Children” delves too far into the realm of the bizarre (and I don’t mean in the quirky, ingenious way).Describing themselves as ‘fiercely imaginative’ is definitely an understatement; it would appear the group have a strong case of too many cooks for one pot of broth. There were at least five different artistic concepts the company were attempting to execute during their 50-minute slot. Crucially, none of these seemed to be gelling into a structured or well devised format. The premise of the production was ‘what happens to a girl who falls into the other-world under her bed?’, however any plot that was meant to have existed was lost to me, and I think, the rest of the audience (of five adults). I can greatly appreciate the necessity artists feel to get their ideas ‘out there’ but for young minds, whose attentions wax and wane at the speed of light, the amount of disarray the execution of the production expounds would be unlikely to keep the little terrors occupied.Child-orientated productions normally include certain key features that progress the story such as a journey with prospects, a scatty sidekick, unusual costuming, developmental songs and an end with a moral. The Fall Children seems to be attempting to cross each off the list. However, the impression I got was that they, or their writer, didn’t fully understand how to execute such crucial concepts. I would advise Sticky Back Theatre in future to savour their ideas, not spit them out all at once.
