By Joel Salom
Roola Boola Children's Arts Festival (Stonnington )
Chapel off Chapel, Prahran
One show only online via Zoom on Friday 2 July 2021
Reviewer: Kate Herbert 2 July 2021
The producers decided that they wanted a review so here it is! Yippee! KH
Talking Dogs by Joel Salom is a cute and engaging, online children’s show performed on Zoom for children 4 and over.
Salom, a charming and skilful juggler, is not only juggling balls and clubs, he’s also juggling a live, multi-camera stream from his living room in Brunswick Heads with the support of his own offspring, Harper and Miro. It all works and the kids who are peering out at us in their Zoom screen from their own homes love it!
While everyone arrives in their Zoom room before the start of the show, Salom chats to his screen-captive audience, explaining to the kids that they should wave their hands onscreen if they want to participate by making suggestions during the show.
Everybody is automatically muted for the 50-minute duration, and the Chat function is switched off, which was a pity, ‘cos I want to make comments throughout! I make do with the Zoom Reaction buttons: applause, laugh, thumbs up etc.
The show begins with Salom juggling one, two, three, four then five balls, while successfully avoiding his sofa and the overhead fan, which is no mean feat, especially when he gets to the stylish club juggling later in the performance. Salom stuns the crowd later, by popping two ping pong balls in and out of his mouth. It’s staggering - and a bit alarming, too! Don't do this at home with your own pong pong balls.
He invites children to dance to funky music – and they all dance like nobody’s watching, which is delightful. One child hurls herself from sofa to armchair and manages, it seems, not to hurt herself.
Yes, the show is called Talking Dogs for a reason. There are two, talking dog puppets, both ably assisted by their sidekick, Harper, Salom’s daughter. The first is a large, goofy, shaggy dog who tells shaggy dog stories, and he invites the kids provide words to advance each story.
The second is a robot dog that is a bit like a Dr Who K-9 doggie with a slightly robotic voice. He and Harper show the children how to draw pictures of a narwhal – yes, a narwhal! They produce some astoundingly good sketches.
Robot doggie provides the slapstick comedy highlight of the show for me. At a cracking pace, he races up a tiny ramp and flies over Harper, who is lying on the floor, and disappears off screen. It is a hilarious, mini version of a daredevil stunt. Robot Dog quips at the end, ‘Do not do this at home - with your own Harper.’ I hit that ‘laugh till you cry’ Zoom Reaction over and over.
Unfortunately, the show was a one-off for the Roola Boola Children’s Festival at Stonnington. It deserves an online season, particularly as lots of kids are in Lockdown in Australian cities at present.
Kate Herbert
PS: All children are required to be supervised by an adult – including me!
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