Tag Archives: secret life of suitcases

The Secret Life of Suitcases…

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Folks, if you did not manage to see this FANTASTIC show during the Fringe last year, then please, please get your tickets now. It’s returning for a three day run back at the Scottish Storytelling Centre  from the 1st – 3rd December and its absolutely brilliant….(I wrote a review last year which you can read here )

The Secret Life of Suitcases, features Larry who is very very ‘busy’, and we watch as his life gets turned upside down by the arrival of a very interesting little suitcase. This serene and imaginative puppet show takes us from the dreary office that Larry works in and out into open space – a park, the ocean, a tropical island and lastly outer space itself ….

You’ll be sure to love it !

Highlights from the first week…

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Phew…it’s all gone by in a bit of a blur, but the first week of the Fringe has been amazing. I have managed to squeeze in ALOT of seeing shows, a moderate amount of hanging out at the BBC tent, a touch of ‘flyers for shows’ collecting and what feels like a tiny pinch of blogging about it all….the sun has been kind enough to shine, ice creams have been eaten and I am feeling great !
It is hard to believe there are still another two and a half weeks to go and the book festival has not even started yet either – I am not sure where I will get the energy from to continue but I am loving the festival 2015 so far…
Here are a few of my highlights from the past week :

  • Traces – as I mentioned in my earlier post about my first day at the festival, this show is absolutely amazing, and still my overall highlight so far. Seven extremely talented and skilled circus performers take you on a journey, intertwining their acrobatic skills with moments of humour and friendship, and most impressively singing in Chinese- you are left wondering if there is anything these guys are not able to do !
  • Secret Life of Suitcases – The Storytelling Centre once again has a hidden gem of a show this festival – this is a beautiful, heart warming piece of theater with some exquisite puppetry. The set is gorgeous, and transforms along with this tale of embracing life’s adventures when you can…
  • Trash Test Dummies – featuring a trio of loveable Aussie clowns, this is a great family circus show with a good balance of acrobatics, clowning and musical fun.
  • Lords of Strut : The Family Show – see the blog post below – these guys were very, very entertaining – fun and mayhem for the whole family.

Both the BBC tent and the Pleasance Kidzone have proved great places to hang out with children. The BBC tent offers a ping pong table, deckchairs, IPads, a big screen showing various shows and a free photo-booth whilst the Pleasance Kidzone has arts and crafts, picnic tables, a puppet theatre and lots of visitors from children’s shows taking place at the various Pleasance venues.

I’m just hoping I find some more time to get out and about and enjoy it all ….

My Top Five Children’s Shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2015

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As I’ve said before- I get very, very excited in the run up to festival season, and once all the programmes are printed and launched, I enjoy flicking through all the possible show choices but I also find it immensely overwhelming. Venues are increasing the number and variety of their children’s shows each year and it is becoming so very difficult to select which shows to see amongst such a wonderful, creative collection.

I have managed to create this top five but it is very much a work in progress and I’m keen to hear your opinions too if you see something which you think should have made the list:

  • Alfie White : Space Explorer – Brought this year by Tall Stories who came to Edinburgh last year with ‘Emily brown and the thing’ which was extremely enchanting- this shows looks worth a peek. Alfie White is crazy about space. And his dad is training to be the first man on the moon. At least that’s what Alfie tells his schoolmates. In fact, Alfie’s dad has disappeared without trace… A cosmic tale of adventure and discovery.                                                  5th-30th August (not 19th)
  •   The Secret Life of Suitcases – The storytelling centre is a hidden delight of puppetry during the festival and for the past few years some of my absolute favourite shows have been hosted here – the venue is small and cosy and perfect for engaging with puppets. This story about the mysterious arrival of a suitcase in an office looks like another enchanting tale…                                   8th-23rd August (not12th/17th)
  • Morgan & West’s Utterly Spiffing Spectacular Magic Show for Kids (and childish Grown-ups!) – I managed to see these guys perform some magic last year and I loved it – they are very entertaining and I think it will work very well for kids – ‘Witness a mountain of mysterious magic, a hatful of hyper-reality, and, of course, a truck-full of tricks and tea’                                                  5th – 31st August (not24th)
  •   Trash Test Dummies – Circus seems to be a bit of a theme this year at the fringe and this show looks ace – as these three dexterous dummies take out the trash and take to the stage in their family friendly show which won Best Children’s Presentation at Adelaide Fringe 2015.                                       7th – 29th August (not 17th/24th)
  • Brush – I think this show looks intriguing, imaginative and unique… Paintings are created live on stage and brought to life right before your eyes. They tell a bewitching story filled with weird and wonderful characters through live music, dance, fanciful puppets and a company of engaging performers.                                                          6th – 30th August (not 18th)