Edinburgh Fringe 2023
Green Fingers
Fladam
Genre: Children's Theatre, Comedy, Musical Stories, Puppetry
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A deliciously Dahl-esque treat from madcap duo Fladam (Flo Poskitt and Adam Sowter), about a boy born with gunky, green fingers! Is he really rotten, or just misunderstood? Maybe the answers lie in the mysterious school garden…
Review
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Two bright and fun characters played by Flo and Adam are the key to this show about a boy with green fingers. For young audiences, the low key look of the characters and friendly nature is compelling and immediately holds their attention from the start.
With only a simple brick wall on the stage and some props they tell and act out a story about a little boy, who is played by a gorgeous puppet that they bring to life every effectively. The puppet is the size of a small child in colourful clothes with big yellow shoes. His limbs move and his head turns in the direction of the audience as he is speaking through one of the performers. His mouth does not move but his face is so expressively crafted that it’s perfect for the young to understand who he is and how he feels.
Flo and Adam’s characters speak with different character voices when they interact in little scenes or to the audience. The are also several musical story songs performed by Flo and Adam that are catchy and sung well – music and songs mainly written by Adam. Quick light changes and changes of pace and new characters arrive – all played by Adam and Flo – and they keep the story moving along so well the entire audience of children with their families were enthralled and entertained.
The themes in this story are meaningful and gently embedded in the events – or brought out strongly by the head teacher character, which adds a lot of humour to the fifty minute show! The delightful puppet, the boy with green fingers, is sad when he realises that he is different from others and does not want to go to school. Acceptance when someone is different is a big part of the several messages in this show, and later there is a delightful eco section to the story about growing plants and how it’s good to be grubby in the garden when planting flowers!
Green Fingers by Adam Sowter, Flo Poskitt and Ben Tansey, has recently been nominated as one of the twenty shows on the long list for the Popcorn and BBC Writersroom Writing Award 2023 at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
Adam and Flo interact seamlessly with the children in the audience when they ask them questions, and there is full engagement! For a delightful morning show this is certainly a Hidden Gem!
