MR BOON'S FAIRY TALES
Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St, Auckland
05/05/2012 - 19/05/2012
NZ International Comedy Festival 2012
Production Details
EVER WONDERED HOW SLEEPING BEAUTY SLEPT FOR 100 YEARS WITHOUT NEEDING THE LOO??
Mr Boon is back with an exciting NEW show for kids of all ages.
Join Mr Boon and his gang of characters as he takes you on a journey through a magical world of princesses, wicked witches, princes and beanstalks. Mr Boon will attempt to answer all the important questions you have wondered about fairy tales, like
“What is it really like to kiss a frog?
By day Mr Boon is a primary school teacher passionate about teaching. Having written and performed sketch comedy for 15 years this dedicated teacher combines his skill as a comic and a teacher in these hilarious kids shows.
Mike Boon started out as a member of the Comedy Club at Massey University. In his 20s in Auckland he turned to standup comedy and was seen regularly at the Classic Comedy Club and on Pulp Comedy. He spent ten years in the UK, including appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now a husband to a Scottish wife and father of one, Mr Boon has found his calling, introducing kids to the fine art of laughing so much snot comes out of your nose.
Suitable for all ages, but ideal for ages 4 to 100
My 8-year-old son said on leaving the theatre: “I think that might be the best play I’ve ever seen. It was so funny!” Theatreview
“It had both the seven year old and eleven year old in fits of laughter. The only danger is a flying cream pie. ” Thread.co.nz
As part of the NZ International Comedy Festival 2012
MR BOON’S FAIRY TALES
AUCKLAND
Dates: Sat 5, Sat 12, Sat 19 May, 11am
Venue: Q Theatre Loft, 305 Queen St.
Tickets: Adults $20, Conc. $10, Family (4 people) $40
Bookings: www.qtheatre.co.nz or 09 309 8324
Duration: 1 hour
For a full line up of performances, booking details & more information, visit www.comedyfestival.co.nz
1hr, Saturdays only
Ageless storytelling
Review by Nik Smythe 06th May 2012
Old Mr. Boon’s aged a lot since last year’s Big Time Last Chance Quiz Show 2011. Clutching his walking stick in his dressing gown and cheesecutter, he snoozes away in his chair as we take our seats.
Eventually in his own good time he starts awake and welcomes us “to the future!” and in his inimitably bumbling, now also geriatric (and slightly narcoleptic to boot), fashion he explains his intention to show us the history of storytelling through the ages. In particular, those tales of great heroism, romance and most of all magic!, that we call Fairy Tales.
Thanks to unintentionally inducing a timely magical event upon himself, Mr. Boon is transformed to at least at least half the age he began as we head right back to the dawn of civilization, where the first storytellers apparently wore tiger skin gowns and headbands, and regaled captive audiences around campfires about their exploits and those of – and told to them by – their forefathers, and so on.
His ‘mammoth-hunting adventure’ sample may be an early precursor to self-promoting embellishment but doesn’t meet the supernatural criteria of fairy tales. Fast-forwarding to medieval times, a humorous, less than flattering portrayal of a court jester illustrates the early days of fantastical epic dramatised storytelling.
Then we arrive at the classics, which tends to mean the Grimm brothers, utilising the stage left tall black puppet-theatre booth for a somewhat Germanic rendition of Hansel and Gretel. Follow that, a rousing ukelele version of Jack and the Beanstalk and finally a (comparatively) elaborately staged, generically classic ending, The Wedding! …in which Boon the princess – yes that’s right – fixes to marry someone’s Dad, the handsome prince, with the help of an appropriately gushy script.
Young and old alike, the audience are all smiles as we exit, and my son (the eight year-old from the Christmas 2010 Theatreview quote on Boon’s poster, which we only spotted afterwards) scribbled one short sentence for me on my note pad: “He’s really funny!” Indeed, and may he be so for ever after, or at least the remainder of the season.
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