Trash with a Porpoise, REVIEW, Digital season, 4 May 2022 ***1/2

KIDS’ THEATRE

Produced by Jen Gay & Packed House Productions

La Mama on Screen 4 -18 May, 2022: La Mama on Screen

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Stars: ***1/2

This review published only on this blog. KH

Julia Landberg, Joseph Lai in Trash with a  Porpoise- pic from video

 

Trash with a Porpoise is a children’s comedy puppetry show and the attentive kids are and entertained by the two charming, onstage puppeteers (Joseph Lai and Julia Landberg) and their cheerfully chatty creations constructed from trash.

 

This 50-minute show, directed with humour by Jhess Knight, has a message about saving our sea life from the massive build-up of non-biodegradable rubbish that our communities dump in the ocean.

 

The use of recycled trash to create creatures is really clever and the kids respond to the cheery performance style and goofy jokes.

 

We meet a series of sea creatures (puppets by Jhess Knight and Mads Hillam) that include racing sea slugs, Merf the mer-fish who is looking for a purpose but, instead, meets Heather the Porpoise who speaks in rhymes.

 

A penguin dies after it swallows a dumped balloon so the puppeteers rewind and replay the entire scene replacing Julia’s birthday balloon with a harmless bubble maker. Meanwhile, Coral the reef is choking to death on trash.

 

There’s a cowboy Seahorse and a sneaky, disguised puffer fish called Puffy Pete that is cunningly crafted from an umbrella. When the brolly opens, it transforms into a fat puffer fish.

 

The kids enthusiastically participate and shouting warnings about Puffy Pete: ‘It’s a puffer fish!! They help the Recycling Walrus with the bad jokes by calling out in which rubbish bin each item belongs: Compost, Soft Plastics or Recycling.

 

Child volunteers play instruments during the final song while the performers sing, ‘Give it a wash in the sink then put it in the bin.’

 

The performers may have limited vocal ability for such a range of characters, but they are charming, and engaging and their show is fun and carries a clear message. Recycle and don't dump rubbish in the ocean. It kills our sea life.

 

By Kate Herbert

 

 

 

Directed by Jhess Knight

Puppets by Jhess Knight and Mads Hillam

Performers: Jemima Eva, Joseph Lai and Julia Landberg

Stage Manager & Director’s Assistant: Mads Hillam

Lighting Design : Tom O'Sullivan

Produced by Jen Gay, Packed House Productions

Julia Landberg in Trash with a  Porpoise- pic from video