Review: Groan Ups at Lighthouse, Poole

Mr Wildfire and I enjoyed a trip to Lighthouse Poole last night to see Groan Ups, the new comedy from the team behind The Play That Goes Wrong.

Mischief have delivered yet another hilarious show that does not disappoint. Following the lives of five six-year-olds as they meet at school, form friendships and then grow into rebellious teenagers and reluctant adults, Groan Ups reminds us that growing up is far from easy.

All the outrageous slapstick comedy that is a Mischief trademark is there, but Groan Ups also has a very poignant side that hits you with all the feels. The performances from the entire cast were brilliantly observed, moving effortlessly with their characters as they grew and progressed through the education system. I loved the little touches to the set such as the oversized chairs in the classroom which helped the actors look like tiny tots swinging their legs.

Very soon we came to know and understand the five children - Moon, Katie, Spencer, Archie and Simon. It was so easy to look back on my own school days and identify similar characters, and I'm pretty sure that everyone in the theatre was having a similar experience.

The slapstick came thick and fast, and the humour was just as you would imagine for a bunch of schoolchildren - awash with fart and dick gags! We took our theatre-mad 11 year old with us and some of the more adult humour just went over his head - he was in love with the silliness of it all. The recommended age for children attending is 12+ which feels about right.

We all particularly loved Jamie Birkett's brilliant portrayal of 'Chemise' - the 'actress' hired by Simon to pose as his girlfriend at the school reunion. Her delivery was simply outstanding and had us in stitches, Every single member of cast was brilliant in their own right though, and made for a superb ensemble production.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Groan Ups as a fantastically funny night out at the theatre. We saw it at the end of its run at Lighthouse, but you can catch it next at Eastbourne's Devonshire Park Theatre and the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.

** No hamsters were harmed in the making of this play. **