Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Jack Hobbs A.K.A. Hobbit, Dorcas Sebuyange, Iestyn Evans, Clarke Joseph-Edwards.
Outwardly we might forget what it was like to be little, to see through the eyes of a child, we neglect the belief in what playing can achieve, we turn our back on the youngster we once were because we fall into line with the conviction that at some point it is not the done thing, simply unacceptable, and then we wonder why we have such trouble identifying with the young, with the children who look up to us; we want them to grow, to be adult, to lose their sense of questioning and creativity, yet all the time we should just be imploring them to Big Up!
To witness children enjoying theatre is to embrace the idea that it is life for all, that it neglects nobody, all are welcome and that is exactly how theatre should be and with the right atmosphere, with a production swimming in positivity and with a team that makes it completely accessible, no matter whether you are 3 or 103, and it is one that is taken up with authority and stature by 20 Stories High and Theatre Rites, and one that is exemplified in their latest collaborative production, Big Up!.
There is absolute pleasure in remembering what it was to be a child, perhaps if we re-learned the way in which we saw the world as a playground and not as an asset to be stripped, then maybe we could start making good on our promise to heal the Earth, and by doing so, heal ourselves as a species.
It is a pleasure that sees Theatre Rites’ Sue Buckmaster and Keith Saha from 20 Stories High bring an abundance of joy via the absolute talent, vocal, human beat box and puppetry skills of Jack Hobbs A.K.A Hobbit, Dorcas Sebuyange, Iestyn Evans, Clarke Joseph-Edwards. It is world of imagination in which music and theatre combine, in which to Big Up! is to see the world differently, to smile, to laugh without care, and all because you are inspired to remember, urged to think back when the world was swings, roundabouts, bringing toys to life, of being honest to yourself.
Big Up! is not only for children, it is for all, for what good is being a child without a parent it can relate to, one who will not put away childish things and instead care, help the imagination flourish, for the best way to nurture such thoughts surely is to live them. In this, 20 Stories High and Theatre Rites once again have produced something magical, theatre that is extraordinary, and one that must be embraced.
A dynamic production that goes really big.
Ian D. Hall