Review: ★★★★★ One Duck Down, The Vaults

For parents looking for a family show, the people who love a good pun, for the big kids out there or just people who love good theatre, this is the show for everyone.

FacePlant Theatre presents a funny family show as part of the Vaults Festival, with a beautiful message. Directed by Christa Harris, this is truly the must see family show at the Vaults this year.

The audience follow Billy who will do anything for love, even when love sends him out on a crazy quest to catch 7000 rubber ducks at sea. Our loveable hero Billy, played by Owen Jenkins, sails the seven seas and meets some amazing characters. Jenkins really manages to engage the entire audience, with children mesmerised on the front row and adults tearing up from laughter in the back. On top of his amazing performance, he also wrote the show with the equally outstanding actors, Maxwell Tyler and Alice Bounce, whose great characterisations are something quite out of the ordinary – as is that of Lydia Hourihan.

As Billy’s journey continues, we are introduced to some wonderful animals, all affected by the rubbish humans throw in the sea. And as the audience falls in love with every single character, it was evident that, through the laughter, everyone was actually moved and saddened by the effect their actions have on the planet. It is really rare to see children’s theatre with such an important message that actually manages to come across so strongly, that you know that every single child will go home and start recycling. And as well as having a great message about the environment it also teaches children a thing or two about love.

All of the actors are experienced in children’s shows, and have previously done some incredible performances for great companies, like Les Enfant Terribles, several of them performing in Marvellous Imaginary Menagerie. One Duck Down is the next level, full of puppets and music, beautifully composed by Catriona Mackenzie, and it’s the only place where you’ll experience a polar bear rock star, with the entire audience rocking along.

Director Harris manages to take all these great components and glue them together in to, a fantastic show. Most impressively, this show has such a large target audience – full of puns and jokes that will please children, but make adults cry laughing, there is not a quiet moment.

Prepare to have aching cheeks when you go see One Duck Down, because you will laugh and smile for the rest of the day. The show will only become better the more they do it, just tightening everything up a tad. Luckily it’s on every weekend until 18th of February and it would be brilliant if that wasn’t the last we saw of One Duck Down.

Go here for tickets, which are just £9.50. 


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