one4review | On 06, Aug 2022

Take 3 talented musicians, 15 acts and 45 minutes and you get Fruit Flies Like a Banana. Our trio consist of Hilary on flute, Greg on percussion and Neil on bass trombone. First things first, they are all tremendously talented. Our favourite was Hilary who managed to play her flute beautifully, whether she was hanging upside down, standing on someone’s shoulders or dancing around the stage.

There are 15 numbers hanging on a rope at the back of the stage and a corresponding list of acts for the audience to choose from. The acts names include “fossil” and “nutmeg” and so the audience does not know what they might be choosing. Once a number is selected out trio perform the act wonderfully, with a splash of acrobatics and dance thrown in. Some are beautiful (think Bach and Strauss) others are an assault on the senses (“onomatopoeia” I’m talking about you). It’s difficult to recommend an age for this show – young children may find some of the longer acts a bit dry, and some of the sillier acts may be just too silly for older kids. If you have a budding musician on your hand though, they will no doubt love this.

**

Reviewed by Claire

Gilded Balloon, Patter House (Doonstairs)

10.30 (45mins)

Until Aug 28 (Not 15th)