On Saturday 15 July 2023, Kazbah Theatre made its professional debut as an integral part of Grimsby's Festival of the Sea.
This open air festival was always going to be held hostage to fortune as far as the weather was concerned. Last year, audience turned lobster pink as they baked in extreme sunshine and the crowds came in their droves. This year was a very different affair with storms and gale force winds forecast, threatening the entire event.
Kazbah Theatre had been booked to offer three performances of their show "Cap'n Fishcake and His Fabulous Fish Fingers" at 11am, 1pm and 3:30pm. It was suggested that rather than giving their performances outdoors, the team should perform all three sows inside Freshney Place Shopping Centre. However, the Kazbah team wanted to stay true to their vision of an outdoor performance and so at 11am, they duly opened the Festival greeting visitors coming across the bridge from the main shopping centre. The show got off to a slightly late start but managed to attract a decent number of early Festival-going families who stopped to watch the show until the heavens opened mid-show and the cast carried on manfully for the hardy few punters whose children were so engrossed by the anthropomorphised fish fingers that they refused to be torn away Waterproofs emerged and the show did indeed go on.
The weather improved greatly before the 1pm performance and an extremely large crowd gathered to watch the second show and the fish fingers became the toast of the town as the sun shone throughout. Aside from the rising winds causing one or two puppets to fly away from the drop basket used during the show, everything went well and the show delivered everything it promised, with its message of finding a solution to pollution rather than inducing climate anxiety among the young audience members.
Shortly after the second performance the rising winds turned to extreme stormy conditions, with thunder and lightning and torrential rain. The team was fortunate that it had just managed to pack away the puppets and set as the rain came and everyone sought shelter inside the Theatre Cookery Tent. At this point a decision was taken by Swans Events, managing the Festival, to relocate Kazbah's third performance and with the assistance of event staff, the show was transported to Freshney Place and set up outside Boots and The Works.
After an anxious set-up, all fears were allayed as a sizeable audience gathered. The sight of a free puppet show with over-sized fish fingers and dog dressed as a trawlerman stopped shoppers in their tracks and children begged their parents to be allowed to stay and watch the show. The lack of a PA system for the show in this venue didn't deter the three consummate performers: Molly Charnley, Samuel Pearson and Alice Murray and the show proved its flexibility by instantly adapting to a new space with ease and managed to retain its warmth, charm and humour whilst doing so.
Audience responses to all three shows were fabulous and numerous suggestions were made including the comment that the show has to be seen in school as a touring production. The humour was warmly welcomed by families who felt that there was plenty for the children, and enough nods to the adults in the audience too. The other big question was "What's next for Kazbah Theatre?" Work is already underway to develop a new show with a circus theme for early next year and all details will be shared via this blog. Watch this space, as the old saying goes...
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