The Troll from the Bowl **** 1/2

         Justin Cheek’s children’s play ‘The Troll from the Bowl’ is the latest production by Barking Gecko showing at the Subiaco Arts Centre and Don Russell Centre, Thornlie from the 3^rd – 14^th October.
          The show started with the youngsters in the Barking Gecko theatre workshop performing an excellent version of the ‘Billy Goats Gruff’ story that we all know so well – or do we?
          This new tale demonstrates that, as in life, when the winners write history, the truth will often be misrepresented. This is the ‘true’ story behind the troll and what happened after the bridge incident. As the children discover, the Billy Goats were actually a nasty bunch and the troll the real victim. On having been kicked off the bridge, far into the air, the troll had eventually come to rest in a sewer. He searched around the underground complex until he emerged from a toilet in a vacant flat. He lived there happily, until Billy McGoo (Sean Walsh – communicated beautifully with the audience) and his Mum moved in, after a family break-up and the inevitable ‘devoice’.
            The stress from his parent’s separation has resulted in Billy losing his voice, so he communicates with his mother using charades. One night he wakes to find Noel Troll (the wonderful Jimmy James Eaton again at his best), who has a very unfortunate flatulence problem, wandering around his bedroom. Troll tells Billy his sad tale and the two develop a plan to get rid of the Billy Goat (magically portrayed by Michelle Fornasier) forever.
            Jeremy Rice has directed this show with plenty of action, fun and imagination. Cherie Hewson’s brilliant costumes – Troll’s outfit is really gross, with his bum hanging out of his filthy blue combination’s rear flap in contrast to the stunning, slinky Billy Goat – when amalgamated with designer Alison Brayford’s novel set featuring a massive toilet, the portal to the bedroom, the kids were hooked from the beginning. 
          Scott Suttar’s colourful lighting and Ash Gibson Greig’s fantastic music helped the children capture the mood. Ash has done a few shows recently, and has consistently assessed the likely audience accurately when writing the score and choosing his instruments. With films the composer has the luxury of synchronising the crescendos and ‘effects’ later, yet here, the melody was like cartoon music with the actions well directed and performed to fit the tune.
            The family ‘message’ slowed the story slightly in the middle, but the children from 4 – 12 years loved it. The more fart jokes the better! For the adults, Justin had a second level to the script to keep them highly entertained too.
A tiny problem, the rat’s microphone was off-centre and he was sometimes hard to comprehend.
            You will love it; borrow some kids for an excuse to see it.