Review: How Does This Politics Thing Work Then? The Wardrobe Theatre Bristol

How Does This Politics Thing Work Then?
The Wardrobe Theatre
Bristol
10/11/2019 at 2pm

This family comedy show aims to break down the complexity of the mechanics and dynamics of politics in an accessible, neutral and entertaining way.

The show features presenter Tatton Spiller, founder of Simple Politics, as the educator. And, children’s comedian Tiernan Douieb playing the fool, in this one-hour show.

It starts off with the simple idea of having eight sweets but needing to give them to ten people. Children in the audience are invited to give their views about who most deserves them and how best to allocate them.

This is a concept which is built upon until gradually voting, tax paying, decision making and how the main political parties prioritise key aspects such as health, education and defence is introduced.

It’s a lively affair which also features talk of Borris Johnson, MPs, funny photos of cats, Brexit and culminates in the setting of electoral boundaries and a general election.

As a show, it’s a clever way of introducing the foundations of politics and the current political landscape. It’s aimed at children aged six years upwards, though felt more geared towards four-year-olds with a definite upper age limit of 6.

Children older than 6 or 7 were not selected to answer questions, even if they alone in the audience had their hand up. This felt a bit weird by the end of the performance.

This was a great show for young children, both informative and entertaining. It would be nice to see something either more inclusive of slightly older children or pitched at over six years.

For more forthcoming comedy in Bristol, visit: https://chucklebusters.com/

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