Did you know Goat actually stands for ‘Greatest Of All Time’? And that YOU can only ever be the greatest you of all time and no one else? Because you’re not anyone else, you’re you! So it follows that this show is in fact, the greatest show that it could be… because it was like no other show either!
When Charlie Baker kicked off his show today I’m not quite sure what I was expecting – certainly something funny and probably more appealing to older kids. So maybe something that was more linguistically clever and less visual perhaps?
Things began with Charlie just chatting to the audience, making a few Dads dance (funny) and encouraging kids to harass their parents for pets (totally should’ve brought the hubby!). It felt a bit like a stand-up routine that certainly had the kid’s entertained whilst I was still wondering what was happening! I was certainly bit surprised when he launched into a rap about Serena Williams – which was certainly above Katie’s head but amused me!
Quickly after this the story actually began as Charlie was joined by ‘Glenda’ – played by Sam Battersea – who introduced us to her tale which was essentially about a singing goat. At this point, it felt a little bit like a CBBC level type show but with references only slightly older kids would understand – like youTube and viral videos. The story led us through a tale of discovery in which Glenda initially thought she wanted to join her love interest – Farmer Doug – in Australia, but through her voyage to fame with her singing goat Graham, she found that actually she was alright just being herself. It was a positive message about staying true to yourself and finding happiness in that.
The show is billed as being for 7+ but Kate (aged 5) easily followed the plot although I’m not sure how much she understood. She definitely liked the music and there were definitely parts she found funny. I thought both Charlie Baker and Sam Battersea were excellent in their roles, keeping up the pace with use of simple props, occasional song, and through a variety of characters and voices. The use of an old-school overhead projector was also very clever providing some simple graphics and an extra element to the story at times.
Ben (aged 13) thought the whole thing was ‘cool’ and picked up on a lot more than I did. But it strikes me that is actually a good thing – there wasn’t a load of references or jokes that went over his head. It was at a level that he really enjoyed and engaged with. Whether it was jokes about poo or some tech reference I was oblivious too – it was great to find something that he genuinely enjoyed.
So it’s 3*** from Kate and I, but a full 5***** from Ben.
Charlie Baker Presents: The Greatest Goat of All Time is on at Assembly George Square Gardens – Piccolo – from 11-20, 22-26 August at 15:00. Tickets available here!
P.S. We were gifted tickets for our review but all thoughts, words and opinions are of course our own!
