Outbox Theatre Company has turned on a magical show for children, adults and nostalgic geriatrics alike. From its quiet, sleepy beginning to the majestically extravagant closing number, the whole shebang jam-packed with song, dance and above all, nonsense! After all, as the man himself says: “A world without nonsense makes no sense at all!”

Steve Morrison’s script (workshopped by the company for two weeks), interweaves a simple story of an elderly Lear, sharing his a number of the absurdist word-play classics he was known for with his excitable granddaughter. 

Elena Stejko directs a dynamic cast, rightly described in the press release as “a super cast of emerging talent”, set to a catchy, eclectic original soundtrack from Ed McWilliams, Geva Downey and Geoff Maddox, performed live by McWilliams. 

Mark Mitchison’s warmly lovable Lear (b. 1812, d.1888) is an old-fashioned granddad lamenting his although his work went on to entertained generations for a century and a half, the children of today are forgetting it. 

Anjula Prakash plays his granddaughter, with frankly incredible energy and enthusiasm as well as consummate skill. 

Grandfather proceeds to eagerly share all manner of poems and limericks with her but she only really cares about that one, his biggest smash-hit ever and so – like an elderly Victorian Ray Davies frustrated at being forced to play ‘You Really Got Me’ yet again – the main event ensues with all manner of splendour and pageantry.

Of course, it’s only a three-verse poem isn’t it, so there’s time for a fair few tangents and a bit of post-modern deconstruction all along the way. The whole madcap madness builds up, with plenty of solicited help from the crowd, to a terrifically choreographed nonsensical crescendo of character, song and dance. 

The supporting cast have brought their best game to the stage for the holidays, notably everyone: Gina Timberlake’s svelte and sassy Pussycat, Jillian McDonald’s pensive Owl, Brendan Lovell’s dimwitted ninja-Piggy and Becky Kueck’s ostentatious diva of a Turkey. 

They are all accompanied with gusto by the talented chorus of Tamara Markovic, Erin Wallace, Emma Thorburn, Jessica Astorga-Ralph and Candace Williams, plus a guest appearance by heartbreakingly cute extra-small Jumblie, Sophia Soboleva-Orlova.

Playwright Steve Morrison is also responsible for the splendid set design, marrying classic imagery with Dr Seuss-esque oddity, and making maximum use of the charming Old Vic’s possibilities. It’s hard in some instances – Cherie Moore’s black velvet singing table for example – to determine where the set design ends and Sara Taylor’s brilliant, similarly flamboyant costume design begins. 

Big as the show is on talent and artistry, they are evidently low on publicity as the auditorium was barely a sixth full. Anyone who makes a holiday habit of attending Tim Bray’s excellent children’s plays at the Pumphouse would do well to make a bonus effort to get over to Devonport and treat themselves to this outstanding debut kids show from Outbox. As would anybody else. 
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