Here Comes Gudong review

Here Comes Gudong an incredibly endearing production aimed at children and families. Inspired by Chinese and British folklore, Here Comes Gudong tells the story of a motley crew of animals as they follow a strange "Gudong!" sound through a forest. The show was at The Space at Symposium hall, as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but will later in the year be performed at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.

Here Comes Gudong opens with the voice of a child (very cute) to mark the start of show. I like the idea that the children of the audience are given an introduction to the production by one of their peers, as well as the fact that instructions given to turn off phones etc. may be listened to by parents as they might their own child.

Here Comes Gudong involes a great deal of elements: acting, live puppetry, video, music, and sound design. It is fair to say there is a lot that could go wrong, and that is before you get to the perilous act of audience participation with children. And yet all elements are professionally done, and almost technically flawless. With so much going, Here Comes Gudong has the ability to engage an infant with even the shortest of attention spans. I do think that the show has the room to lean a little more into the interactive side of things (if it so dares) to really amp up the excitement.

The performances are rather brilliant. Mary Emma He plays the de facto protagonist of the play - she is quite the captivating performer. Aidan Harris also makes a worthy sidekick to her antics. Here Comes Gudong is characterised by its highly-physical, over-stylised motions. The soundtrack, using traditional Chinese instruments, is simply beautiful. I also really appreciate the humorous scenes of puppets dancing/responding to elements of the music. A couple of the jokes really had me wheezing (particularly the one about the snail, and the one about the tortoise shell) - more of this please.

I went in not knowing quite what to expect, but I must admit, it is such a breath of fresh air to see such an undeniably fun show. Here Comes Gudong Cutesy, whimsical, and thoroughly enjoyable - for all ages. A show aimed at little ones has no business being this good. ★★★★☆

Thank you to the company of Here Comes Gudong for inviting me. A recording of the production was provided free of charge and I was given full control over the content of the review.

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