one4review | On 01, Aug 2025

This is the European premiere of this show, and it’s a real treat. Without reading the show blurb, you may be a bit confused about what exactly is happening for a while, but this spoken-word-free show is full of wonder and whimsy. As we enter the venue, two people are throwing aeroplanes around the room, and you can feel the fun straight away. I was never quite sure if these two were spirits or just a storytelling device to help us move things along in a world of puppetry, so don’t worry about them too much.

The stage is adorned with old boxes and belongings, and soon we meet our protagonist, an old man, stuck in his ways and trapped in a routine he’s clearly miserable about. You feel a lull in this moment, and I worried that we were in for a bad time, but nothing could be further from the truth when the small boy arrives (this is in the form of a well-crafted puppet). Again, I wasn’t entirely sure if the boy was imaginary, a local child or even purpose-built, as there seemed to be instructions seen for a moment. Although odd, I just ignored it and got on board. The show has no spoken word, and usually, this can either work very well or be the downfall of shows needing to give younger audiences a bit more to work with. On the whole, it worked, but perhaps a bit more world-building of why this boy suddenly turns up may have helped.

The boy forces the old man to face a lost connection to the sea, and this is where the beauty of this production comes in spades. The story, rendered through exquisite puppetry, drapery and physical storytelling, subtly hints at a past life touched by tragedy. A really striking moment is a dreamlike sequence producing a storm, created through suspended fabric and dynamic lighting, shrouding the audience in a sense of wonder.

The venue’s steeply raked seating sometimes blocks views, but the show’s inventive use of space, whale shadows gliding overhead, and plastic waves rippling above more than make up for it. The show invites us into a fantastical world where healing begins through play, and redemption arrives on the wings of memory. I would recommend this for the whole family and taking a chance on something new this Fringe.

****
Reviewed by Matthew
Assembly Roxy – Downstaires
10.10 (50mins)
Until 24 Aug (not 6,11 or 18)