2 Shows to Catch at the Jubilee Hall This Month
PUBLISHED September 3rd, 2014 04:00 pm | UPDATED January 20th, 2016 02:27 pm
Potted Potter – A Hogwarts Treat For Harry Potter Fans!
Calling all wizard-lovin’ muggles! Get hold of a wand and be prepared to magic up tickets when ‘Potted Potter’ returns to Singapore this September. If you missed the show in 2012, you have a chance to experience all the fun and mayhem of romping through all seven Harry Potter books in just seventy minutes.
Those of you who have seen productions by the Reduced Shakespeare Company will be familiar with the format. Take a subject like Shakespeare, American History or the Bible and plough through it at breakneck speed, throwing the familiar bits at the audience and parodying the rest. ‘Potted Potter’ is no different. The show takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real life game of Quidditch) into seventy hilarious minutes.
‘Potted Potter’ is the creation of Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, better known in Britain as Dan and Jeff, onetime presenters on CBBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation’s children’s network. In the best two-man comedy tradition, Jeff, the shorter one, was the straight man, while Dan, the taller one, called his bluff as the funny man.
The show started life as a five-minute street theatre sketch recapping the first five books that the two created in 2005 to entertain Potter fans who were lining up for the release of the sixth novel, ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.’ It expanded and evolved into its current format and has been entertaining audiences around the world ever since, making Clarkson and Jefferson double Olivier Award Best Entertainment nominees.
For this show, British actors and comedians, James Percy and Benjamin Stratton will be on stage. Don’t expect fancy special effects and elaborate staging. The due use the cheapest props for their abbreviated version of the Boy Who Lived. Expect favourite characters to make an appearance and there will be a chance to participate in a game of Quidditch – with a very golden snitch. To say more would be to give too much away.
So how much ‘Potternalia’ does one need to enjoy the show? It helps if you are familiar with the trio – Harry, Hermione, Ron as well as Dumbledore, Hagrid, Snape, Voldemort (or “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”) and more. But don’t worry if you don’t know the difference between a Horcrux and a Hufflepuff, – Percy and Stratton will keep you tickled with their antics, plus there will, no-doubt, be throngs of Potter fans in the audience you can pester!
‘Potted Potter’ is a must-see for Potter addicts and a great introduction to the series for anyone who’s ever wondered what all the fuss is about. It’s brilliant family entertainment and is perfect for ages six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed).
Potted Potter runs at the Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel, from 9 to 14 September 2014. Tue-Wed 7pm, Thu-Sun 5pm and 7.30pm. For more information and tickets, see SISTIC.
Bubble Magic – An enchanting experience for young and old
For most us, bubbles represent the ephemeral – transparent soapy cocoons that float and burst in a blink of an eye. We have all played with these as children. But constructing a whole show around bubbles? Well, prepare for your doubts to be blown away when Bubble Magic comes to town.
This magical world of bubbles uses the everyday elements of soap and water and creates beautiful illusions. There is use of skillful trickery and props such as tubes, circles and smoke machines. Forget the bubbles you blew through a plastic hoop as a child, this sounds like a something on a much higher level!
Bubble Magic is the result of years of experimentation by Spanish-born master of bubbles Pep Bou, who has been playing with bubbles for more than three decades. It’s an adventure that has taken him onto the stages of theatres and festivals around the world, delighting audiences of all ages and cultures. He has been honoured with an array of prestigious awards. And his shows contain an impressive variety of eye-opening acts like fishbowl bubbles, animal bubbles, bubbles on a high wire, sliding bubbles, puppet bubbles, and even a train inside a bubble tunnel.
Producer and CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, James Cundall says, ‘Bubble Magic is an exceptional show. Its creator Pep Bou is world-renowned for good reason – he is simply brilliant, and blends the poetry of bubbles with elements of traditional clowning, transporting you to a different world.’
Apart from creating spectacular bubble creations, this two-man show also uses clowning, ingenious lighting, colourful music and crazy costumes. It is a show with a difference, designed to instill a sense of childish wonder in people of all ages. The 65-minute production promises a blend of visual poetry and fun in equal measure.
Bubble Magic is on at the Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel from 10 to 14 September 2014. Shows run Wed 1pm & 3.30pm, Thu – Sun: 11am & 1.30pm. For more information and tickets, see SISTIC.
