Animal Alphaboat

Tom Hackett says...

Poet and comedian John Hegley readily admits that this low-priced show is a work in progress, and matters are not helped today by the pleasingly ironic fact of the original venue, the makeshift landlocked boat that is the Pleasance Ark, being flooded. The show is moved to the Cabaret Room, a decent enough space but probably not quite as intimate as it needs to be for Hegley’s chummy, low-key show to really take off.

It’s a wilfully shambolic mix of poetry, song and audience banter, loosely based on different animals for each letter of the alphabet. Hegley manages to involve almost all the kids in the audience, aged anywhere from two to fourteen, in the general silliness as we buzz like bees, flap like guillemots and chant about amoebas, whilst throwing a few wry asides to the adults. His style is a little more schoolteacher-y than it needs to be, with a slightly strained emphasis on the ‘educational’ aspects of the show. But as wonky, wordy children’s entertainment goes, it’s diverting enough.

Eilidh Saville says...

The Ark was closed due to a "Great Flood" on the day we went to this show, and we were moved to the Cabaret Room. John Hegley’s show itself is a funny and inventive one-man act based on a book of his funny poems. The audience are encouraged to join in with the singing and clapping, accompanied by John and his guitar.

John doesn't seem to be very organised and keeps changing his mind. Many of the adults join in and laugh at the jokes, and enjoy seeing their children participating. The atmosphere wasn't great on the day we went because it was held on a black stage in a bar and there was nothing else to look at apart from John (perhaps he should have had more props?). However, this show is impressive in that it appealed to my sister, who is three years old, right up to my mum, who definitely isn't!