The Marvellous and Unlikely Fete of Little Upper Downing – Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol

Creator: Little Bulb Theatre

Reviewer: Emily Pearce

The Public Reviews Rating:

Having been to see a fair few town hall-based, small, devised plays in recent months (perhaps there has been a spate of commissions for them recently?!), I arrived at the Tobacco Factory fully expectant of a quirky and offbeat production, in intimate surroundings. Whilst my expectations were fully met (you won’t find a more quirky play than this), The Little Bulb Theatre Company produced an evening of fast paced humour and wry observations that left the audience delighted. Although, it is rare to find a production that can appeal across the age divide, this show managed to easily engage the old, young and in between alike; an attractive prospect for parents wanting a play that they can take their children to with a little more substance than the usual.

The Marvellous and Unlikely Fete of Little Upper Downing is based on the retelling of the fictional folklore of neighbouring villages at war; a tale of Shakespearean proportions (if Shakespeare was based in the West Country). Complete with witty, interpretive songs, the four-strong cast all played multiple characters and multiple instruments in a very accomplished manner with boundless enthusiasm.

The strongest element of the play was the absolute cohesion between the four roles. With equal billing throughout, and each actor having different eccentricities and foibles, it was good to see a production with no dominant character or ego, showing a real communication between the actors; a rare feat. It would have been good to be able to single out the individual cast members, but with no programme and no individual photos on their website, I was unable to unfortunately. Although there was the odd slip and word jumble, for a first night the show was slick and never let up pace. Audience participation, normally something I dread, added to the warmth of the evening, and the actors’ ability to improvise on what members of the audience had suggested was commendable and added to the general sense of giddy revelry. Occasionally, the referencing back to mistakes made earlier was unnecessary, the audience wouldn’t have noticed otherwise and the play was by far funny enough to get by without these additions.

Poignant in its ability to extract the more lovely and silly areas of traditional rural life, The Marvellous and Unlikely Fete of Little Upper Downing harks back to a time lost, if it ever existed. Steeped in nostalgia for village rumours, fetes and maypoles, but with a wit similar to that of Flight of the Conchords, I was surprised about just how much I enjoyed a trip back into yesteryear.

If looking for a play with high production values and a lavish setting, then this might not be the show for you; The Marvellous and Unlikely Fete of Little Upper Downing is by no means a large or expensive production, and its intimacy would be completely lost if in a bigger venue. This is a shame as I wish it could be seen by a far larger audience than was present last night. However, with its sweet sincerity mixed in with cheeky, dry humour this production could win over even the tiredest of moods. I would recommend highly to anyone wanting an unexpectedly hilarious and whimsical evening.