Bath Time at the Brewery Theatre

We were not really sure quite what to expect, coming to a seated theatre performance for under 5’s. On walking into the Brewery theatre, I immediately felt it was a perfect venue for this type of show, being small, intimate, and well lit so that it did not feel dark and threatening in the way other theatre venues might. As the lights began to dim to signal the beginning of the show and my 2 and a half year old daughter began to look perturbed and a little worried, I was pleased to see that the lights were dimmed just enough so that you could still see everything around you and that it was not completely dark, the first of many thoughtful touches.



The premise of the show is a familiar one to even the smallest audience members, and revolved around all the fun and silliness that can be had at bath time, with bubble beards, make believe, play, lots of singing, and a seemingly endless stream of rubber ducks! We were introduced to Robin and Matt, the only characters in ‘Bath Time’, and immediately they got on their audiences level with an underpants gag that had the kids squealing with laughter. You know how your 2 year old will often repeat things endlessly because they find it funny or fascinating? The writers and performers of ‘Bath Time’ clearly understood what makes little people tick, with just the right amount of repetition of jokes and themes to draw the smaller members of the audience in, but not too much that the adult members switched off. It was all perfectly silly, and pitched so well at the under 5’s. The older children were able to join in with the audience participation, while the younger ones could appreciate the very visual nature of the production. My girl was initially unsure of quite what was going on and clung somewhat tightly to me, but it didn’t take her long to warm up, and by the time the “magic cupboard” was spilling forth its contents, she was hooked and giggling along with the rest of the audience, adults included. The show lasted 45 minutes which again, was perfectly pitched, any less and you might have felt short changed, any more and my daughter would have got fidgety.



We had a ball at The Brewery Theatre, and loved the show. I found myself forgetting I was there because it was theatre aimed at my daughter, as I would have happily sat through it anyway, even if I hadn’t been accompanying a child! ‘Bath Time’ is a perfect introduction to theatre for the under 5’s. I urge you to catch it if you can, great value for a great little show.



Bath Time is on at The Brewery Theatre until the 8th of January 2012.


- Review by Karen