Tidy Up at Southbank Centre

Developed by Peut Être Theatre in partnership with GOSH Arts, patients and families and the Psychological Services Department at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Tidy Up is a delightful 50-minute performance looking into whether chaos and order can live side by side.

Forming part of the Southbank Centre’s Imagine Children’s Festival – a 12-day event of half-term fun – the show is a vibrant, uplifting exploration of messiness. By turning a child’s favourite pastime into a lively and comedic dance-theatre performance, Peut Être Theatre delivers a fun and interactive afternoon for its young audience.

Starting the show with a warning to parents that there is “strictly no shh-ing”, the three dancers took to the bright yellow stage to capture the imaginations of both children and adults alike. Appealing to the senses with bright colours, upbeat sounds, movement and interaction with the audience, Tidy Up celebrates the comedy of chaos and the patterns that can be found within it.

For example, the younger members of the audience were delighted to be invited to the stage to help clean up the coloured pom-poms that the performers had just flung around the room, sorting them into bowls by colour.

The three members of the cast – Charlie Hendren, Maya Politaki and Anna Woolhouse – were adept at keeping the youngsters fixated on the stage and kept them giggling, wriggling and bopping along to the amusing antics.

Other elements of the piece, including fans, glitter, paper popcorn, lights and balloons, ensured that the audience (no matter their age) enjoyed a gloriously messy afternoon, which they were able to leave behind when the show ended! No tidying up necessary after all.

Laura Ewing

Tidy Up was at Southbank Centre on 16^th until 18^th February 2018 as part of its UK tour. For further information or to book visit the tour website here.

Watch a trailer for Tidy Up here: