Woodcourt: Animorphed
The Coffee Pot is a small, captivating venue. Audience members climb a rickety wooden staircase to emerge into a bar, the design of which is preserved from its operation in the 80s and 90s. After being cordoned off with red tape for years, Cassandra Tombs and Bryan Lynagh (responsible for award winning Fringe venue, Tuxedo Cat) have taken over the nostalgic space above James Place to put on intimate theatre.
Venue staff gather the audience from oversized booths and small stools, leading them up another staircase and into a room no bigger than your average bedroom. The space is filled by a desk covered in K.A. Appelgate’s book series, Animorphs, and related paraphernalia. In a one man show, Simon Binns reminisces about his love of the children’s novels and relates stories of his nerdy childhood. He muses upon whether later discovering that his favourite character might have been an offensive racial stereotype, or that many of the 54 books were ghost-written, detracted from his enjoyment of Animorphs.
This show is best for a niche audience, those who grew up reading Animorphs. Much of the enjoyment of Binns’ anecdotes comes from thinking and feeling the same things over the years. For those that loved the books, you will love the show too.
However, even if you didn’t read them, Binns’ gradual transformation into a rabbit is worth going for. The end result is brilliant and unexpected. When he claims he will prove his ability to morph, most reasonable people will doubt his promise. But Binns combines the art of comedy and clever theatre to produce an astounding transformation, to conclude a show about childhood, naivety, imagination, and nostalgia.
