Imagine a landscape which is reminiscent of a mash-up of something out of Dr Seuss and Carlucci Land (my kids thoughts on seeing the set) but the colour of the moon, where three creatures, who look a little like lichen-covered padded rocks, live in quiet harmony.

Every day they follow their routine which is ordered by a different coloured seed pod, delivered by a pneumatic tube-like device, dictating whether it is time to salute the sun, wash or create and play. A joyous simple and pleasurable existence.

Enter into this mix another creature, similar but with an extra bit of colour: different to the others and a more improvisory and playful character.

What do the original creatures do when confronted with this new dimension in their ordered happy world? How do they deal with something they don’t know?

The creators of Odd One Out, Jo Randerson and Thomas LaHood, have made a world in which youngsters encounter mime, clowning and slap-stick while trying to narrate a story of difference and change being OK, and also acknowledging that sometimes change can be hard but not necessarily wrong.

The large audience, with children averaging about four, are fully engaged throughout this opening performance with Capital E National Theatre – although there are a few tears and fears as the set props begin to move and roll around seemingly on their own at the beginning of the performance. I observe that the lighting in the auditorium doesn’t go fully to dark for the first part of the show, giving these audience members a chance to enter into this magical world in gentle stages – which they do.

It is aimed at 2 – 7 year olds and I am accompanied by three children at the upper end of this range.

Most don’t seem to notice the space-esque music by composer Jason Wright which starts to hover in the atmosphere well before the audience is settled but after the etiquette of the theatre instructions, the artistic dialogue begins. A tree trunk and mushroom shape start to dance before a hand emerges to tickle a foot. Infectious giggles from the audience ensue and increase as the creatures appear in full view, conversing in a babble language that echoes and merges with the accompanying soundscape.

The story evolution is at first magical and engaging, with strong physical theatre and charming character portrayals by actors Batanai Mashingaidse, Tylor Wilson-Kokiri, and Ryan McIntyre.

The telling of this known, safe and repetitive world is clear and has links to how our children like to feel in their world – to know what is happening and who they will see and be with.

This continues with little deviation from the routine, until the arrival of a seed pod that doesn’t fit the pattern, along with a more sassy, more self-assured fourth character played by Grace Bentley. (I’ll call her Red)

Here the emotional pull to accept change, the reticence to include this new player and depart from the known is excellently played with slap-stick humour, hilarious interactions and reactions with each other, and the set/props creating chaos out of the calm to eventually bring about a colourful resolution and acceptance.

We certainly see the reactions of both parties – the fear of change and the sadness and anger at being left out – so the dialogue is definitely happening, but, for me, Reds story and motivation for her character doesn’t have the same depth and obvious pathway as the other three.

The new seed pod and Red’s character need to be more clearly interwoven – we don’t see how this character and pod interact with the different routines already in play or the new ideas her personality brings to create exciting possibilities. We get that change isn’t wrong or scary if open to it, but it is through the bombardment of one new idea that overloads the system, creating a resolution in spite of itself.

Aside from this disjoin in my eyes, there are many parts of this show that are wonderfully successful. Especially the creative and beautifully crafted set by Tony De Goldi and Owen McCarthy which comes to life with surprising moving features, and lighting (Natasha James) and sound choreographed with precision to accentuate storytelling moments. (Operator Joshua Tucker needs extra applause for his excellent timing.)

With aplomb the actors manage a script of gibberish (which the older kids liken to Pokemon voices, but I can see possible influences with The Wot Wots and OddBods for the younger children) and the audience members love getting to interact with the pods, giving them a chance to feel even more that sense of ownership and belonging to the story, so the message is being reinforced in other ways throughout.

Audience Quotes:
“The whole time I laughed” (5)
“The funniest part was everything” (7)
“My favourite part was when all the balls starting coming out and they couldn’t stop it and that made me laugh – a – lot” (7)

Theatre is a wonderful device for sharing important messages through play. Change can be tricky, it sometimes takes time and shouldn’t be forced; we all want to belong and learning to include others is so much more fun.  

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