I wished that I could have taken him to the previous show Bright Abyss as this was a funnier show. There were similar performance traits in Au Revoir Parapluie as there were in Bright Abyss however from my memory in Bright Abyss it was done for comic effect and in Au Revoir Parapluie it became more dance orientated. Beautiful and fascinating to watch but not so funny.
There was some humour and my son eagerly retold these elements. He was also fascinated by the large hooks and thick ropes that adorned the stage. And enamoured by the sword play that occurred.
He asked a lot of questions during the show so I apologise if anyone reading this was there on the same night and sitting near us. I was unable to explain to him why so many shuttlecocks fell to the stage at the end nor was I able to answer a lot of his questions and my suggestion that sometimes things were just beautiful to watch and didn’t always make complete sense was not entirely satisfying.
The staff were very accommodating of the younger members of the audience. My sister supplied my son with ear plugs which were very effective in dulling down the sound which is usually too loud for him but I did wish I’d bought a booster seat with me.
All in all it was a successful night out and as I rolled his sleeping body this way and that to get his pyjamas on I felt I was seeing elements of the show in my own life and I went to bed feeling nourished which is surely what good theatre should be about (sometimes?).
