"10/10 My Mother Told Me Not to Stare. Fantastic"

On the 1st of June 2012, I reviewed Theatre Hullabaloo's newest play; My mother told me not to stare. Here, is my official account of the day.

Upper Crumble. A town with a normal lake, normal families and normal goings on. If only that were true. Upper Crumble is not normal at all, for it has a discipline system so harsh, even the toughest of children would cry at it. For if any children break a single rule in Upper Crumble, it’s off to the fixing kitchen. Everyday, at the crack of dawn, a bell is rung, a bell that signifies; the reading of the list. The list, contains every rule that every child of Upper Crumble must obey, or dire consequences follow.

Here we meet two children; Bobby and Emily, who spend their Sunday afternoons and evenings fishing, and enjoying childhood. With different backgrounds that combine and collide, they always attend the morning reading of the list, and, slowly but surely, they start to realise a decrease the child population. Rules include;

My mother told me not to stare
My mother told me not to dance in the morning
My mother told me to eat my crusts
My mother told me not to have my hair down on Sundays
My mother told me not to wander from the path.

And the list goes on. As these children become more suspicious, they start to challenge the efficiency and the severity for not following the rules. One day, the two hatch a plan, that results in the disappearance of one of them. Many questions start to arise; “Who went missing? Are they alive? What rule did they break?”.......... Again, the list goes on. But there is one question, hanging onto the edge of everyone’s tongues; “What happens in the fixing kitchen?”

Complete with friendship, double naming, mystery and many comedic and musical performances, this is a play that is well worth seeing for any fans of Lemony Snicket, Roald Dahl and Tim Burton. Directed by Nina Hajiyianni and produced by Miranda Thain, I give this play 10/10. My mother told me not to stare. Fantastic.