Comic chefs cook up a treat for all the family

Trygve Wakenshaw and Barnie Duncan star as the two chefs in 'The Magic Chicken'.

The under-fives would have to be an actor's harshest critic. While the adult-sized critic will just quietly slink out at halftime, children are likely to loudly express their dissatisfaction before asking to leave.

At the opening of The Magic Chicken both the four and 40-year-olds in the audience were laughing loudly, completely caught up in the slapstick fun.

The Magic Chicken is set in a little bistro where two incompetent chefs, Toot and Collins, are optimistically preparing for a dinner rush.

They have no food or customers so are very lucky when both appear in the form of customer Evil Eric and chicken Ethel Heihei. Of course, chaos ensues.

This is an excellent production with all elements working in perfect harmony.

No mean feat when you consider it combines acting, slapstick, magic, music and puppetry. All in a tight, hour-long show.

In the best traditions of buddy movies, our two heroes couldn't be more different, and as with many slapstick classics there is plenty of humour in their physical and emotional differences.

Trygve Wakenshaw's uptight Collins is all lanky twitching limbs while Barnie Duncan's shorter Toot is laidback in the extreme.

The villain of the piece is played with suitable bulldog menace by Mark Clare, while our leading lady is in fact a chicken puppet, charmingly brought to life by puppet ninja Oliver Smart.

Their performances are ably supported by musician Andrew McMillan, and John Bell, who can ham things up with the best of them.

Like Shrek, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo, The Magic Chicken appeals to both children and adults with plenty to delight both audiences.

For the adults there are is a witty sophistication to many of the visual gags and a raft of post-modern references to everything from break-dancing to western movie shoot-outs.

For the children there is superb physical humour as the two chefs spill food, fall over, hurt each other with various kitchen tools and even run face first into pots and pans.

Actually, the adults liked those bits too.

The Magic Chicken is fantastic family fun, and you don't even need a family to enjoy it.

Review

What: The Magic Chicken

Where: Herald Theatre

When: to December 5

Reviewer: Shannon Huse