The I Hate Children Children's Show

I was drawn to The I Hate Children Children's Show for obvious reasons. I'm not terribly fond of kids who aren't related to me. Memories I have of magic shows I was taken to are scarce because I was probably so paralyzed with dread as to repress anything I actually witnessed. I was, therefore, curious about a children's show which advertises something so brazen in its title. The fact that comedian-cum-children's entertainer Paul Nathan is a fellow San Franciscan, and a veteran of MTV and HBO was only more enticing.

Rather than actually hate children, Nathan does them a favour by delighting their parents with totally inappropriate (in the best possible way) humour that brings all new meaning to "fun for the whole family". While impaling himself with a loop of rope and burning phantom holes in one father's jumper, Nathan embraces his particular brand of American surliness in a way that engages the kids, rather than patronises or antagonises them. He manages to transform "you horrible child" into a term of endearment that elicits more than a few giggles, and at one point he dryly tells the children in the audience that they "suck at math." I am instantly won over.

Nathan knows inherently that kids don't need to be pandered to, and this, rather than his quick wit and even quicker tongue, is what perhaps distinguishes him from other children's acts at the Fringe. The risk he takes in treating his audience in such a way pays off beautifully; his magic is impressive, gross, and whimsical enough to leave the kiddies genuinely entertained.