Antarctica at Bristol Old Vic
The audience cannot help but lose themselves in the excitement of the voyage, as our fearless trailblazer invites them to participate, with a group of children looking after Falcron’s fish brain and sea slime sandwiches (ewww!), and another group responsible for map reading. They are off on an exhilarating adventure, in search of the elusive, mysterious Owler Bear, with so much fun and discovery along the way!
Beautiful puppetry, imagery and musical accompaniment all add to the spectacle, as Dominic Conway and Clare Beresford dance in and out of the scenes, cleverly and realistically mimicking animals with humour and abundant energy.
The scene is visually impressive. Hundreds of silver foiled and white paper pieces fill the air and catch the light as they fall, as a blizzard sets in, capturing the attention of rows of delighted children! There are even cascades of bubbles which come enticingly close to the young viewers, representing the deep blue sea.
As you’d expect in Antarctica, there are waddling penguins in love, squabbling otters, darting fish, awesomely glowing jellyfish, and, not forgetting, two seagulls who swoop and devour Falcron’s sandwiches before he has a chance to eat them. Cue much giggling!
Best of all, there’s an owler bear, a gorgeously fluffy creature with the head and wings of an owl and the body of a bear!
Little Bulb Theatre’s Antarctica is charming and delightful, guaranteed to amuse you and your children over the Christmas/ New Year period. My six year old son absolutely loved it!
Antarctica is at Bristol Old Vic until 4 January.
– Review by Andrea Harris
