aimed at a slightly older audience of 7+. And. like last year’s Koko The Crocodile, Menzies will give both sets of children a chance to create something artistic to take home at the end of the show. Aside from giving her audiences a
good time, Edinburgh-based Menzies is also dedicated to sharing the rich bounty of tales her heritage has to offer. ‘African stories are still often passed down in the oral tradition, so accessing them from Scotland can be quite difficult,’ she says. ‘These stories have worldwide appeal and I try to subtly introduce ideas through the scenery, language and characters. It’s a way of sharing my African culture in the most positive, interesting way I know.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ The Zoo, 662 6892, 10–31 Aug (not 9, 16, 23, 30), 11am (Moon) and Noon (Quest), £6 (£4). Previews 7 & 8 Aug, £4 (£3).
LOST WORLD Cinematic expedition
Festival Kids
promise a memorable Fringe outing for children and adults. ‘It’s a story that’s hopeful and exciting, but has quite a lot of mysterious, dark things in it,’ East says. ‘The mouse has to go through quite a lot of challenges - it’s not a simple story, but it is fun.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 8- 31 Aug (not 17), 11.30am, £7–7.50 (£5–£5.50). Previews until 7 Aug, £5. THE LEGEND OF MAGNIFICENT MOON / A MOST CURIOUS QUEST Double helping of African tales
Having discovered two great stories ripe for adaptation, Mara Menzies of Toto Tales was torn between which show to deliver at this year’s Fringe. But help was at hand. ‘I was deliberating for weeks, when my 7- year-old niece piped up, “Why don’t you do both?”,’ she says. ‘Why not indeed? So I started writing two scripts.’ Based on traditional African tales,
The Legend of Magnificent Moon is for ages 3+ while A Most Curious Quest is
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s swashbuckling adventure, Lost World is brought to life by The Paper Cinema. Using angle-poise lamps, black-and-white ink illustrations and laptops, a DIY-film takes shape before your eyes. ‘The Paper Cinema is an illustrated song, shadow show, puppet show, cinema show, magic show; and a tale all in one’ says Nicholas Rawling, who set up the Paper Cinema five years ago. The project was originally commissioned by UNESCO’s City of Literature trust, to promote literature around Edinburgh and beyond.
Doyle’s story magics up a South American expedition, where dinosaurs roam the jungle and ape-men capture courageous journalists mid-way through their mission. ‘The multi- instrumentalist, composer, modern day hat wearer and rock climber, Kieron Maguire then builds the soundtrack to our live animated film,’ explains Rawling. ‘He’ll be playing viola, flamenco guitar and other strung and plucked oddities.’
Charmingly lo-tech, with the mechanics of the marionette show going on right in front of you, it’s a mix of audience imagination, creepy cut- outs and sci-fi fun. The Paper Cinema’s tour has already stopped at the Glastonbury, Latitude and Big Chill
40 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 6–13 Aug 2009
list.co.uk/festival ANDY AND MIKE’S . . . BIG BOX OF BANANAS CBeebies guy goes bonkers
To the nation’s children, presenters on CBeebies and CBBC are practically like gods, bringing great programmes, reading out birthday cards and generally acting the fool. Currently enjoying his place in the sun is Andy Day, a regular smiling face on the CBeebies channel, and one half of ‘Andy and Mike’, a comedy duo headed for the Fringe.
‘It’s really nice to be able to actually see the kids,’ says Day. ‘Because I’m usually in front of a camera in a studio, so it’s great to do something live.’ Andy and Mike’s . . . Big Box of Bananas finds the twosome on a quest, during which they must discover three passwords to open the magic box. Along the way, the audience meets a host of characters and a great deal of silliness.
‘The characters are all played by us,’ says Day. ‘Such as pirates, air
stewards and a section called ‘Ocean’s Got Talent’ which is like Britain’s Got Talent but we’re underwater.’ The original concept for the show came from Day’s grandmother, who passed away when he was five, but left behind a box of goodies for him to open when he was 16. Together with his long-term pal since primary school, Michael James, Day decided to turn his nan’s quirky idea into an hour of fun for all.
‘It started off as a show for ages 4–11,’ says Day. ‘But now it’s got a real family vibe, with lots for everyone.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 9–23 Aug, 12.50pm, £8 (£6). Previews 7 & 8 Aug, £6.
festivals, and after Edinburgh, they’re packing up their quirky box of delights and heading to South Africa. (Claire Sawers) ■ Scottish Storytelling Centre, 556 9579, 12–31 Aug (not 18, 25), 3.30pm, £7.50 (£5). LIGHTER THAN AIR Balloon comic capers
As any parent of a six-year-old will confirm, kids love watching adults making total balloons of themselves. So, if you take one adult, arm him with a cupboard full of actual balloons, you’re probably on to a winner. ‘The bit where I walk my inflatable dog, Poppy, always goes down well,’ confides ‘balloon-tamer’ Danny Schlesinger. ‘Particularly when she does a balloon poo – that’s always a big hit.’ Schlesinger not only knows all about
balloons (he read up on the history of
balloon entertainment in London’s British Library), he even looks a bit balloon-shaped too (cruel maybe, but then he does do a self-deflating gag in his act). His rotundity also made him perfect for playing Homer in Sky One’s remake of The Simpsons’ opening credits with real, live, five-fingered humans. Schlesinger’s show includes
‘sophisticated silliness’, magic, circus skills and balloons as big as the ones on the beach in The Prisoner. The show involves him bouncing, burning, dancing around, climbing into and making shapes out of balloons of all shapes and sizes. And did we mention the loud popping? There’s plenty of that too. ‘Most of it’s on purpose, but there are a few unexpected ones too. That’s just what balloons do.’ (Claire Sawers) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 8–30 Aug (not 17, 24), 11.30am, £8–£9 (£6.50–£7.50). Previews until 7 Aug, 11.30am, £5.
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