A joyful, sparkling gift of a first show that grows a garden full of giggling babies. Rating
Excellent!
It’s an absolute privilege to offer a child a first encounter with theatre, and it’s then important that the experience is an excellent one to ensure they’re not put off for life! Rest assured, your child is in safe hands with the green-fingered Theatr Iolo, whose show Baby Bird & Bee will ensure your little buds blossom.
This is a beautifully gentle production, crafted specifically for ages 3-18 months. Devisers Sarah Argent and Kevin Lewis have thought through every step of the audience experience to make it welcoming and inclusive. We’re met warmly at the door, where Argent carefully explains what will happen, so there are no unexpected surprises. Each baby and their carers are given a pot full of bits and pieces that will be used during or after the show: immediately, we have ownership in it. There’s then a comfortable space at Polka’s Adventure Theatre, with room to sit on the floor and be close to the action, or on seats further back if you prefer.
The show starts brilliantly with Lewis greeting each individual baby. Superficially, this is a simple thing to do, but with it, he’s affirming and welcoming everyone, acknowledging their presence and connecting them with himself and with each other. It’s so refreshing to see an older actor on stage, with not a primary coloured dungaree or over-enthusiastic performer in sight – and the babies love him! Lewis brings an extraordinarily gentle charisma to the space, which captivates the little ones from the off. He plays peekaboo, sings songs, and makes silly noises as he tears up his list of jobs: it’s all the things babies love, and they are quickly giggling contagiously.
A repeated musical refrain of “Baby, bird, and bee” is simple but memorable, and it will stay in your head for days afterwards! It works like a charm to capture the audience’s attention, plus there’s opportunity to join in singing, tapping along, or shaking items from the flowerpot. We’re introduced to an adorable puppet baby who needs a little sleep or a cuddle, just as the audience might, and there’s even a moment for snack time. The babies can easily recognise their own lives in the performance, and they are captivated.
Valentine Gigandet’s design work is just lovely, with a backdrop of painted flowers setting the scene of the garden, where we not only meet a baby but a felt bird and a flying bee too, who get up close to the fascinated children. In one absolutely magical moment Lewis waters the pretend plants with real water to gasps from the audience, as theatre makes the impossible believable. There’s a considered connectivity to everything on stage, from the soft colour palette throughout, to the discreet lighting, to the use of garden sacking to make the baby puppet. It’s just gorgeous.
Above all, this show creates a moment of real, special opportunity between families, babies, and their peers. Come the end, through the magic of theatre, we’ve all connected a little bit, all grown a little bit. The room is filled with smiles, laughter, and possibly a little disbelief that tiny people could be so rapt for the whole length of the show, which is a neat 20 minutes. There’s then additional time to stay and play afterwards that offers bubbles and music in a fun disco experience that the adults really love!
Baby Bird & Bee is a beautifully conceived and executed work that just casts a spell over its young audience: it’s surely fair to say that creative duo Lewis and Argent are indeed the Penn and Teller of baby theatre.
Created by Sarah Argent & Kevin Lewis
Directed by Sarah Argent
Designed by Valentine Gigandet
Produced by Theatr Iolo
Baby Bird & Bee is suitable for ages 3-18 months. This production has now completed its run.
