“The Water Babies” comes to The Fringe this year in an adaptation featuring a cast of young performers from Stage Star Acting Company. The performers range in age from around 8 years to around 16 years old, with a good cross section in between.
This is a brave production, as the beautiful, moralistic fairytale written by Reverend Charles Kingsley in 1862, is extremely involved. It encompasses many locations and characters, so it is an impressive attempt to say the least. The use of minimal props is well thought out, and dancers creating the river used to pull Tom under, was a creative idea and exceptionally well done. The costumes were effective in taking the audience right back to the Victorian Industrial Era where the production is set.
Yet you can’t shake the feeling that you are watching a school play, as the excited young actors take hurried peeks over their shoulders to see if they recognise anyone in the audience, although it is quite endearing. Sadly though, if you have no knowledge of the story prior to arriving at the show, you will remain confused. Although the main story is there, the tale seems a little disjointed. This is a good show to see if you know the book, or are a family member of one of the cast, or both.
2/5 
Sandi Hunter
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