Crafty Fools: Adventures in Science at Lighthouse, Poole Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Helen O

Entertaining the kids during half term, is always a hard task. So I jumped at the opportunity to take my 6 year old son along to see Crafty Fools: Adventures In Science! this morning, at Lighthouse, Poole, for something a bit different.

Billed as ‘Seriously silly fun for all ages’, I thought this would be right up my son’s street and a little bit educational too, what’s not to love.

The show took place in the Sherling Studio, which is a more intimate performance area than the Theatre and Concert Hall, but does have unreserved seating, which can be a bit hit and miss, depending how far in advance you arrive before the show starts. We got a seat on the back row, which had a surprisingly good view of the stage, in this sold out show.

Our performance began at 11 am and ran for 1 hour (with no interval) which was the perfect length, given the young age of some of the audience. There was a further performance at 2pm.

The show was presented by ‘The Magical Mr West’ who is best known as one half of the magic duo ‘Morgan and West’. Mr West was ably assisted by his corvid companion, a wisecracking cartoon crow, named Crowbert, who appeared on the screen throughout the performance. I thought this was brilliantly done and very humorous. Everyone in the audience loved the repartee between Mr West and Crowbert.

There was a brilliant mix of scientific subjects covered including inertia, friction, cracking of whips, sound, building a computer, Artificial Intelligence and centre of gravity. What I really loved was how simply these were presented, with basic principles explained and with the added bonus of injected humour. Taking what could have been a dull subject and making it fun. You don’t often get to say that about science! I’m not sure about my son, but I definitely learned a thing or two.

My favourite part was the section on Artificial Intelligence, as you hear the phrase banded around all of the time, but I didn’t really understand it before, but now I do! So interesting and such a brilliant way of learning all about it.

We really liked the mix of live theatre with the use of the computer screen, a bit of music and audience participation. The show was really well thought out and full to the brim with content. It was really funny too; I laughed out loud on several occasions.

There was plenty of opportunity for audience interaction too, which is always really important with a show for children. Getting the opportunity to shout out answers and get invited onto the stage, is always a nice touch to help the audience feel involved and engaged.

The performance was part of the Spring Tour taking place across the country until April 2025. Stopping off at Lighthouse Poole for today only.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves this morning and would highly recommend the show to everyone, especially Primary Schools. With ticket prices starting from £10.49, I think it’s excellent value for money and would definitely go and watch it again.

Rating: 5/5
RRP: Tickets cost from £10.49
Address: Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG | www.lighthousepoole.co.uk
Full Tour details can be found at: craftyfools.co.uk