The Variety Show is a memorable part of the Vancouver International Children’s Festival. Last year we LOVED the performances by James Hill, Grand Derangement, and Cirque Zuma Zuma, the amazing tumbling group from Africa.
This year’s evening was started by the wonderful Fred Penner. The audience all joined in singing songs like Sandwiches and The Cat Came Back. Performer Rick Scott and his granddaughter Lilo acted as the hosts of the evening and they, too, sang songs from their show The Great Gazzoon.
The Vancouver Circus School brought high school aged students to the stage. They juggled, tumbled and flipped. Kudos to the young performers for their efforts.
The next performance, from Kaput with Tom Flanagan, was enjoyed by the adults. Slapstick humour is hilarious (my husband was practically rolling in the aisle), that being said I don’t know how much the littlest audience members understood. Our 5 year old laughed; the 3 year old was terrified. Unfortunately a number of kids started crying during this performance. It was at this point the Variety Show was clearly geared for an older audience. The majority of the 4 years and under crowd were overwhelmed for the remained of the show.
The final act was impressive if a bit too scary for the majority of the little audience members. Erth, from Australia, brought astoundingly life-like dinosaurs to the stage. For kids who are crazy for dinosaurs this performance should not be missed. The movements of the dinosaur were spectacular. It honestly felt like we were in Jurassic Park.
Next year’s Vancouver Children’s Festival will return to Granville Island at the end of May. I really recommend getting tickets to the Variety Show as it gives you the opportunity to sample highlights of all the Kids’ Fest performances.
