Browse reviews

Brighton Fringe 2013

The Tim Bat Trick Show

Tim Bat

Genre: Children's Theatre

Venue: The Old Courtroom

Festival:


Low Down

Tim Bat packs in an hour of circus,comedy and plenty of breathtaking tricks for kids.

Review

Tim Bat is back at the Fringe with a tried and tested show that feels as fresh as ever.

 
The humour is pitched at the kids with a regular nod to the adult-parents in the audience.
 
It’s the sheer variety in the show that helps Tim Bat to stand out. He cram more tricks into an hour than a lot of children’s entertainers pack into an entire career. Tim has dabbled in different arts and they create a diversity that gives the show a richness and variety that ensures interest is never lost.
 
Tim has "been there" and gathered in much from the lassooing USA, to the spinning tops of Japan. The wow factor is here a-plenty in the many feats of circus skill and there’s an easy banter and flow of sight and verbal gags to keep us all giggling. There’s a streak of dark humour in the banter that wouldn’t be out of place in a Roald Dahl novel. He lit up the audience and had them hooting with laughter and joining in when required.
 
It’s still top drawer children’s entertainment. It’s still generous in terms of how much is offered. It’s still funny and accomplished and everybody loved it. Traditional in its foundations there’s plenty of modern banter to appeal to the Chima generation. Because when you are that good with your tricks, you are also timeless.
 
And one moment, which had the audience in spellbound silence and which I will not spoil for you, still remains strongly in my memory.
 
I do feel the balloon routine needs changing. It draws unnecessary parallels with smoking and this may well have been fine for the act several years back. No it seems misplaced and out of its time. Tim can be a bit reluctant to change an act that has so stood the test of time but this generation of children were a bit bemused by the link made and we really don’t need to draw the attention of children for a moment towards smoking, even if for comedy reasons. Just  build the balloon tricks instead.
 
There’s skilled and engaging audience involvement too which allows the children to become co-stars of the show.  The  show was slicker than I’ve ever seen it. This is still the must see children’s show at Brighton Fringe.
 
And, my word, he’s even more manic than last year.

Published

Show Website

 http://www.timbat.co.uk