Waiting for Rotto

‘Waiting for Rotto’ is written and directed by Simon Gevers and is showing at The Blue Room Theatre, 53 James Street, Northbridge until 10^th October. All shows 7.00 pm,

         Bubba and Bubby (Simon Gevers and Luke Murphy) are two Wiggles-like characters who, on being born, find themselves on a beautiful island. An island so wonderful that they want to buy a house and live there, but life wasn’t meant to be easy and they meet many hurdles on the quest for their dream. When they got tired, like all children, they would return to their beanbags to watch TV. (Phil Nelson produced the videography)

Luke and Simon wrote the many catchy tunes, the props were amazing – a huge amount of work must have gone into the planning of some of the effects. Fifty teddy bears must have died to produce their quokka. Ursula Ardinach’s lighting design and operation was first class. The movement, delivery and dance routines were filled with enthusiasm.    

However, I left the theatre wondering at what age group the 75-minute show had been aimed. The whole performance appeared to be at the 3 – 6 year old bracket, yet the libretto for the songs, whilst being clever, had few words under eight letters, which left the children at the show disinterested. The video of the Iraq war, references to Madonna’s sex book, long passages about real estate and dying just left the adults cold, let alone the kids. Children revel in sing-along songs, interaction, involvement, and a change of mood or style within the show.

It is so important to know the audience that you are aiming for, and not simply to try and please all age groups. Given the correct script, this team could be a huge hit.

What would you say to someone who spent years producing a magnificent scale model of a Wilson car park made out of a million matchsticks? Probably why?