From the folks at Interactive Theatre International comes 'Signor Baffo', an interactive family comedy in the kitchen starring Josh Burton.
'Signor Baffo' has toured the UK since 2013, and 11 years later is hitting Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Signor Baffo is left in charge of the kitchen, and chaos ensues on his watch – but important questions get their answers too, like what's the best way to mix meatballs with spaghetti? How does a sausage roll?
It's a supremely silly interactive show for kids and their families.
Josh Burton – a Melbourne local who plays Signor Baffo, is an actor, writer, comedian and singer with more than ten years of professional experience.
We speak to the man under the chef's hat, as he provides insight on the production itself, as well as what he's looking forward to about playing to a local audience, and the concept of tapping into his inner child to perform for a young crowd.
What can audiences expect in this show?
A whole lot of fun and a little bit of everything. Big energy, silly characters, physical comedy, songs, dances, improv, audience participation and of course, disastrous kitchen mayhem. It's a smorgasbord of children's entertainment where nothing gets left on the table.
And what does it mean to you to be performing as part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival?
It's a great honour to carry on the tradition, as I grew up in Melbourne and watched Comedy Festival shows as a child, now I get to do the same and inspire the next generation.
What are you looking forward to about playing for a local audience?
Being able to perform in front of friends and family, especially as I was a teacher's aide until two years ago, I'm looking forward to entertaining some old students with more of the same silly nonsense they got from me in class.
As a comedian/performer in general, what’s it like to switch gears to perform for a primarily young audience?
I think it's just about tapping in to your inner child. I'm usually just thinking about what I would have found funny or entertaining at that age and locking in to that mind frame. It's about being in a perpetual state of enthusiasm, playfulness and wonder.
What kind of preparation comes with preparing to perform for kids?
I worked at a primary school for ten years so I feel like I have been training for this my whole life. It's a certain frequency you have to tune in to but once you are in it you don't slip out of it for a second. Except maybe for the occasional joke you throw in just for the parents which becomes its own fun little mini game.
What would you say is the biggest challenge of it?
Conserving energy throughout the show. I love to throw myself in right from the beginning and give each moment everything I have, but when it's just you alone on stage for 50 minutes being extremely physical, I quickly learned that I'll have to pace myself because I felt like I had just run a marathon. Kids theatre should be considered an Olympic event.
'Signor Baffo' plays ACMI – Swinburne Studio (Melbourne International Comedy Festival) 29 March-14 April.
