When I was about 11 my mother took us to see A Victorian Music Hall at Centrepoint Theatre in our home town of Palmerston North.  It was colourful, bawdy, huge fun and I learned a few new terms along the way.

This morning I awoke to hear on the news the dismay regarding Downstage’s choice to offer free seats for An Adagio Christmas to a group of foster children.  The crime, it seems, was the inclusion of the f word, and more, in a circus show aimed at families and adults alike.

We are in the interesting position of having been to the show on Saturday 5 December with both our 10 year old and our 8 year old.  Today I am both blogger and parent in my analysis of An Adagio Christmas.

I believe children learn through art.  The experience of human artistic effort inspires all, especially children.  An Adagio Christmas is a visual treat in terms of the circus acts that had the whole audience gasping.  My children were desperately keen to see the chair stacking act and were on the edge of their seats watching it in awe.

For my husband and me, the trapeze duo deftly melded physical strength and dexterity, while building a picture of the two characters entwined in mid-space.  Loved it.

The performers played to their numerous strengths and we enjoyed the interpretive music, superb acrobatics and the quirky characterisations.  In particular, the rich singing voice of Asalemo Tofete was a joy;  especially as we think his mother was in the row in front of us, just oozing maternal joy.  If it wasn’t his mother, then it was a delighted Samoan woman in awe of what Asalemo brought to the stage. Tu malosi.

So, to the language?  Did it offend?

I have heard far worse with my kids walking down Courtenay Place at 7pm on a Friday or Saturday night.  To be fair, my 10 year old daughter did comment during the performance that there had been ‘swearing’;  but then, my daughter is a savvy soul who understands right from wrong and knows that the stage is where reality and art blurs.  The experience did not offer her license to use those terms herself.

Before any public comment had been made regarding the performance, I had already interviewed my children on the show as part of this blog.  You will be pleased to note below that swearing and fake orgasms did not hit their radars of their own analyses.

Here are their thoughts.

Scarlett  – 10 years old

I enjoyed the show.  It had few words and it was interesting.  The best bits for me were the trapeze, the rope work, stacking chairs and when the ballerina danced to the rugby commentary.

There were some surprises like the cool lights, the puppet and the Christmas star.

Maxim – 8 years old

Best of all I liked the stacking chairs, the acrobats and the puppet with the magician.

So there you go, did we love it – YES!  Should you go?  Yes.  I trust this added publicity will result in well deserved bumper audiences right up until the season end on 20 December.

Jennifer