Following previous successful runs at the Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, Clownfish Theatre bring to life their absurdist take on David Attenborough and some of his more dazzlingly memorable encounters with the animal kingdom, for 8 performances at Wilton’s Music Hall in East London.Almost defying description, Jess Clough-MacRae and Jonathan Tilley deliver a solid 70minutes of largely entertaining tomfoolery and physical theatre, recreating many of the magical and memorable moments which have made Attenborough a famous face and voice, in virtually every household around the globe.
It’s supremely daft, occasionally inventive and superficially amusing stuff, aimed primarily at young parents in search of respite from having to entertain their kids themselves — and with barely a lull in proceedings, most youngsters seemed captivated for the overwhelming majority of the running time — which is in itself, something of an achievement.
With orangutans, meerkats, eagles, snakes, crabs, octopus, and even a Komodo dragon set loose on the first couple of rows, there’s plenty to occupy questioning minds. The most knowing groan of the evening came as the fledgling chick constantly pestered its parent to regurgitate food! What sleep-deprived parent wouldn’t feel an affinity with that section of the material?
As with Attenborough himself, there’s even a nod to the tree-felling and plastic menace to ensure the kiddies are better informed than they were on arrival about mankind’s need to better care for the environment. Definitely one for the kids but hats-off to the two performers for their boundless tenacity even in the face of technical difficulties.
