“Tangle is a magical, inspiring and creative show”

Review by Gully Thompson

“When I first heard of the show Tangle, I immediately thought that I would be too young to properly enjoy myself, and I would sit on the fence and write some notes about the show, observing how people interacted with everything. But as soon as I arrived, I was completely consumed by the show, and it only took me a few seconds to be swept away into the bands of elastic.

The genius thing about Polyglot shows is that at first glance, they seem like such simple ideas, just going outside and wrapping yourself in elastic. But as you dig deeper, you realise that while it seems to be such a simple prospect, there is a much deeper aspect of all of their shows. The magic of Polyglot is that a theatre company finally, and I mean finally, actually understands children and what their minds are like. They understand that for a children’s performance, they don’t just need to dim down the quality of theatre for kids, they create a show that is centred around what a child’s mind is like – not one of stupidity and innocence, but one of imagination and mystery, something that kids can enjoy but adults seem to leave behind. But by the looks of it, adults got it back while attending Tangle!

One of the great things about Tangle is that it’s not a show set to one idea, and a basic set of rules, the show is left in the child’s hands to make the show what they want it to be. There are many different things to do in Tangle, it’s amazing to see what children and adults alike can come up with, only supplied with some elastic and a few metal poles.

But it’s not just the concept of the show – it’s also the atmosphere with the combined effort of the really stunning soundtrack that they play with soothing and funny voiceovers over the top, and the performance of the Polyglot artists who give everyone a great laugh, while helping out around the grounds with people who have essentially trapped themselves to the poles.

And the design and the layout of the Tangle set is made to perfection, adding in everything you would need to make a great performance. While I didn’t think I was going to enjoy myself at the start, I have to say that I think I was the most tangled at the end of the show (it took me a full five minutes to get out of the mess). It’s also a great start to Polyglot’s fresh new home at the Abbotsford Convent, and I hope to see them do more shows there.

In conclusion, Tangle is a magical, inspiring and creative show, one built on genius and imagination. I urge you to see it when you get the chance.”

Gully is a 12-year-old writer, poet, reviewer and composer. He has had two written works published, The Shoe’s Lonely Sole in N-Scribe 12 and Father’s Day in Write4Fun’s anthology, Write Here, Write Now. He edited and wrote his e-magazine, Class Mag for two years. He reviews children’s and adult films in school holidays for Vision Australia Radio, and has composed various cinematic musical pieces. He has attended two Philosothons, a philosophy convention run by the Melbourne Art Gallery, was part of the APSMO Maths Olympiad, and attended the National Young Leader’s Day. He has co-written and performed in a stage performance centering around climate change in Northcote Primary School’s promenade performance, Be the Change. Gully is a member of Mensa, currently attends Fitzroy High School, and lives in Northcote.

Tangle photography by Theresa Harrison

• Polyglot Theatre Admin
  1 St. Heliers St