For parents hunting for a fun Christmas show to take your little ones to, who might be too young for the near three-hour marathon of a pantomime, then this is the performance for you.
Filled with lively music and energetic dancing, Anansi’s Big Big Adventure has playfulness at its heart.
The story follows Anansi (Winston Pyke) - the hapless trickster of many Western African folklore stories - as he attempts to make money to feed his family.
After what he believes has been an unsuccessful day, he returns home where he tells his daughter Tosin (Kerry-Ann Waison) a bedtime story about a spider called Anansi who tries to find treasure by following a mysterious light, but he is led deeper into a dangerous jungle as he does so.
There is never a dull moment with this three-strong cast, who switch between humorous songs, to puppeteering, to well-choreographed dance moves in a blink of an eye.
Throughout the 50-minute show, there is also a good mix of interaction between actors and the crowd, offering kids lots of opportunities to warn characters about dangerous animals or to enjoy an upbeat singalong.
The mother (Nadia Williams) offers all the adult humour, with plenty of references to the plight of the head woman in any family being the real backbone who provides for everyone.
And Tosin exuberates all the joy and youthful optimism with her lines and expressions to create an overriding feeling of hope that lasts long after the play has finished. Teaching the other characters and audience, never to give up and that inner strength can overcome any adversity.
This Bristol Old Vic debut was devised by Dip and Fall Back, a theatre company whose ethos is to provide culturally relevant theatre for diverse audiences, which is felt through every song, and through large parts of the dialogue.
Packed with jokes and energetic dancing, this is a show not to be missed.
Anansi's Big Big Adventure is showing at Bristol’s Old Vic until December 31.
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