How is it that the gelatinous mush housed inside your skull can determine your identity? How does it feel to squelch jelly between your naked toes? Why does food with red colouring unleash demonic energy? Jelly or Jam? The Boogies ask all the important questions.
Before the commencement of 'Jelly And Jam', a new show for kids presented by The Boogies and Gravity And Other Myths (GOM), a pink plastic carpet was unfurled, upon which ticket-holders were directed to remove their shoes. With the sneakers and loafers securely fastened to a moveable wall, parents and their kids then padded their way into the big top with all their sensory receptors exposed. The Boogies, the husband-and-wife acrobatic duo of Jascha Boyce and Joren Dawson then used two giant mounds of jiggling red jelly to stimulate three of the five senses: sound, sight and touch.
While, as a grown man, I could provide my assessment on the merits of the show, it was more informative to observe the reactions of the children around me. The two-year-old girl that accompanied me to the show entered as quietly as a dormouse and a little frightened by the prospect of treading in jelly. Soon, though, she was laughing heartily and gasping in wonder. Older kids enthusiastically mimicked the actions of Jascha and Joren; they joked with their friends as they mimed squashing the gooey jelly with their little fingers. At the climax, like dogs unleashed at the beach, the tots raced onto the stage to stomp upon the remnants of the red goo scattered upon the circular tarpaulin. One or two of the younger children did exhibit distress during a segment that featured screaming and loud heavy metal music, but this was not a problem for the majority.
Jascha and Joren, having performed with GOM and La Soiree respectively, are elite acrobats. Their heavy use of their acrobatic skills meant that, as far as kids shows go, there was a substantial cross-over appeal for the parents or caregivers. Watching one human balance upon the head of another is as much fun for a two-year-old as it is for a forty-year-old. No matter what age you are, this show will be your jam.
★★★★☆
