Assembly
The box show is a rhythmic, percussive, musical show for kids, with a splash of slapstick comedy thrown in for good measure…
It took us a little while to adjust to the show’s self-invented language- a mix of sounds and nonsense words. While our mini-reviewers (particularly the Minions fans) embraced it, as an adult I personally found it somewhat patronising and a little undermining for the older children in the audience too. The environmental message could have been much stronger -the odd word of ‘recycling’ was thrown in, and the potential was clear to see, with junk and everyday objects being used as percussive instruments, but this could have been executed in a simpler, more powerful manner. All this being said, the drumming and percussion was decent and imaginative at times, with a hang drum and water sequence being a highlight of ours. The slapstick antics drew plenty of laughs from the younger audience, and in a smaller, more immersive venue the interactive energy would have worked even better.
Overall, The Box Show has flashes of creativity and charm, but it felt like it missed a beat in delivery. A fun watch for little ones, with much giggling at the quirky foursome on stage, but we were left somewhat underwhelmed.
Our mini-reviewers said : ‘I liked them playing drums on their body, but it would have been better if they used words’ ‘I liked the bit with the drumming on bins in different colours..’
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