Our Island

Singapore's I Theatre company and UK-based Kipper Tie theatre team up for this delightful show which finds three characters washed up on an island. There's one problem: none of the three speak the same language – or, indeed, any comprehensible language at all. So, like a three-way Lear nonsense poem, the trio "wau wau," "ding ding" and "mong mong" their way to understanding and eventual friendship.

What follows, on a micro-scale, is the development of a tiny society as the group mimes their way through names, the marking of territory, possessions, the development of ritual – even the investiture of emotion in inanimate objects. It's a mini anthropological history but one which, fortunately, happens also to be quite a lot of fun. There's a real emphasis on humour here, of the idiosyncrasies of humans grappling with bizarre situations, which keeps this energetic production firmly on the side of entertainment.

It's by no means a show without flaws. Some of the mimes are a little unclear and, it seems, the troupe recognises this. Those weaker movements, however, rarely improve through repetition. There are long periods, too, which drag a little: too ponderous to keep the kids' attention; too aimless to warrant that of the adults. Nonetheless, this remains a truly enjoyable international collaboration and one with a strong message that, whatever the language and cultural barriers, humans are invariably better off together.