Showstoppers’ spontaneous musical sensation has been a fringe success for many years and the family hour show is no different. The same principles apply as with the adult show, only in a child friendly version. Children were told, “You are in charge today”, as they were asked to choose a series of pivotal elements ranging from location to the characters names. As expected, the limits of children’s imaginations are boundless, with outer space a clear favourite for this show’s location. Immediately we were transported to a space ship where we met the keyboard-playing hero Admiral Akbar and the heroine, a horse lady.
With the guidance of a ‘producer’, the performers’ quick thinking and witty temperaments were directed to guarantee a happy ending. Not only were the children left in stitches but Showstoppers, rife with innuendos and puns, also appealed to the adults. On this particular day, prompts for song ideas resulted in horses dancing to Gangnam Style, much to the amusement of the children and the horror of the adults when everyone was asked to stand up and join in.
The cast managed to squeeze in all of the children’s ideas and suggestions into the story and used props brought along by the audience in the performance; cue the Eeyore soft toy that doubles as a nutrition expert on the planet Confection. Considering this is an improvised production the quality of acting, singing and, to a lesser extent, dancing were of a high standard and thoroughly impressed the child dominated audience. This energetic and zealous family friendly show certainly left the audience positively satisfied.
Claiming that you will never experience the same show twice, Showstoppers’ Family Hour provides one hour’s entertainment for the whole family, so you had better have some obscure ideas on hand before you enter the theatre.
