Bright, silly, and full of heart, shed-ache delights in bursts but drifts too often to fully land its playful promise.Rating
Good!
shed-ache, a dance-theatre piece from aKa Dance Theatre, promises glorious chaos from the outset: a shed on wheels with its own mind, two loveable characters, a world somewhere between reality and make-believe, all crafted for laughter. On a busy Friday morning at Half Moon – with birds tweeting overhead and a single shed sitting on a bare stage like an oversized prop in search of a story – the tone is set for something playful. The relaxed pre-show introduction, in English and BSL, also signals we’re in safe, inclusive hands.
This show loops and restarts a lot: at the onset, the first performer emerges from the shed, smiling, but realises someone’s missing, and rewinds. The action takes place again, this time with two bemused faces peeking from the shed window. The shed itself is essentially a third character – creaking, tilting, shifting, and generally playing tricks on our bright, summer-gear clad dancers as they move through a series of comic sequences. A gentle folk soundscape opens the piece, giving things a cosy, whimsical pulse.
There are sequences that really land. A “hot floor” routine, backed by an Appalachian banjo track, is a genuine highlight and finally brings out the dancers’ choreographic precision. A picnic scene dissolves from pastoral calm into thunderous rain, prompting delighted shrieks from the audience. A surreal ladder routine appears next; then a phone call breaks the momentum; then… well, you get the idea. It’s a rollercoaster. Much of the joy comes from the performers’ mischief and physical clowning – they have an easy, engaging chemistry.
But for every moment of delight, there’s another pause, gap, or stretched beat that feels less like intention and more like drift. Anarchy is welcome – especially for ages 2+ – but it still needs shape. Without clear dramaturgical rigour, looseness becomes indecision, and you can feel the audience start to fidget.
A washing-line routine, for instance, recurs several times and is charming in parts – socks lost, pegs pulled from a sun-shaped hat – but the point of it is never fully clear. A bee-and-ice-cream sequence is silly and fun, ending with a scented-flower moment for the audience, but it meanders. Whenever movement takes proper centre stage – a burst of contemporary dance, a lift sequence, a flurry of grounded, energetic physicality – the piece suddenly lifts. You’re reminded of what the dance company can do, and you wish there were more of it.
Audience participation is both sweet and uneven. Eleven flowerpots are handed out for a planting game, which instantly raises the question: what about the other children in this audience of around 60? “Where’s mine?” cries one, and the tension ripples. The post-show offer of a sticker instead feels a little underwhelming.
The final shadow-puppetry scene – seeds, watering can, a slowly growing flower – is genuinely lovely, bringing a moment of stillness as a piece of very familiar classical music swells and the shed window becomes a miniature theatre. It’s a gentle sound held ending. But like the piece as a whole, I am not sure this is entirely intentional – as this choice is part of a soundtrack that veers wildly from folk to storm effects to pop hits: “It’s Raining Men” (really?); “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (a choice with some odd connotations if you know the original film). The lack of a credited sound designer may explain this unsatisfactory scattershot mixtape style.
At around 50 minutes, it feels long for its intended audience, especially when its charm competes with its looseness. But there is much to like: warmth, imagination, silliness, a sense of play. With clearer structure and firmer intention, and more dance, it could be a really strong piece. As it stands, it’s all a bit confusing, if often genuinely funny.
Direction & Choreography: Jen Grant & Joe Garbett
Performers: George Bishop, Joe Garbett, Annie Kelleher & Ania Varez
Set Design: Hannah Sharpe
Dramaturgy: Takeshi Matsumoto
Early Years Specialist: Hannah Lefeurve
Access Consultant: Emily O’Shea
shed-ache’s short run at Half Moon has now finished. Their UK tour continues until 13 December
