Sunday, November 16, 2014

Review of WALLY WATTHEAD and his LOST GLOW: Fun Magical Kids Show

November 16, 2014



Admittedly I was not really too excited to see this show at first. The strange image of Wally Watthead in the poster is not really too enticing on initial glance. I was also not sure how a comedy act from Finland would be able to make us laugh. However, when opportunity came up that allowed me to bring my whole family along to watch, I grabbed it wholeheartedly. 

Wally Watthead (Janne Raudaskoski) is the lightbulb of a lamp. One day, his light starts to sputter then died out. Wally desperately asks his friend Simon the Sim Card (voiced by Jonathan Hutchins) for help to regain his light. While he was doing everything Simon says to get his light back, Wally was also trying to win the attention of the object of his affections, the pretty Polly the Picture (Tuija Nuojua), who mysteriously came to life!

In the beginning, the show started slow, and yes, rather corny.  I can understand the giant lightbulb head piece Wally had to wear. However, I could not fathom why he needed to have those ugly huge hairy ears!  I would call his act a "semi-mime" because while Wally was miming most of the time, he would also utter some stray word or make some strange sounds while he was fooling around on stage. This style needed some time to get used to.



However, as the performance went on and the acts of magic began though, we were all charmed and drawn in, with a constant smile on our faces. Interacting with the cellphone mascot Simon (reminiscent of a Nokia 3210, so loyally Finnish!) on his right and video picture Polly on his left, Wally would perform amazing feats of sleight of hand with cards, flowers, confetti, and bubbles, among other common magic props. 

While there were times when it felt like an expanded magic act for a birthday party, there were those tricks which were truly mystifying. He had a part where it seemed he was levitating. I personally found that segment where he was trying to attach his "battery" most baffling. Those romantic interludes of Wally and Polly to the tune of "Love Story" were cute as they were fascinating to watch.


The best part of the show is actually observing how the kids all around us were absolutely enjoying themselves. When we watched, the PETA Theater was full of kids of all ages. Many of them were elementary students from public schools sponsored by a generous grant. Hearing all these kids gasping in amazement and laughing with glee is so heartwarming. My own kids are past 10 years old already and can easily be bored by regular plays, but here, they were in rapt attention. Wally's unique combination of magic and comedy worked on target audience!

This was indeed an unexpected treat for the kids and the whole family. Don't let that odd-looking ape-like creature with the bulbous cranium you see on the posters put you off. This is such a fun show for kids and kids at heart -- short (only 45-minute long) but sweet, engaging, spellbinding and happy.

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"Wally Watthead and his Lost Glow" will run for one more weekend from November 21-23, with shows at 10 am and 3 pm at the PETA Theater in Quezon City. Tickets are Php 800 for VIP and Php 600 for regular seats. For tickets, contact Ticketworld at 891-9999 or ticketworld.com. For more details, call PETA Theater Center at 725-6244, local 21-23 or 0915-4933728.


21 comments:

  1. I quite enjoy magical shows... although I find my children won't sit down to watch them anymore.

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  2. Nice story line and it must have been a fun experience watching the show. I should have read this post earlier so me and my apo could have watch it.

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    1. The show will still run for one more weekend up to November 23. Try to catch it.

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  3. Yes I agree with that this show's for children. But on my personal side, humor genre is not for me.

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  4. WALLY WATTHEAD and his LOST GLOW looks like a lovely experience for children to enjoy :)

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  5. Such a treat for the kids! ;) sadly we don't have things like this in Malaysia

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  6. These kind of shows are, I guess, better for kids. I've attended an act before for my cousin's field trip and I've had a lot of issues. I mean, for adults, we pay much attention to other details than the story or play itself. Unlike kids, all they are after is watching the characters act and how the story will go so they enjoy it more than the adults.

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  7. Theater performances always fascinate me as I am a frustrated stage actor. And because I will never have this frustration realized, I've decided to just be an audience, a clapper an enthusiast. I would welcome the opportunity to watch this show if i'll be presented with one.

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  8. This one is really educational for kids. Reading how the characters interact which each other is what makes the kids love this one.

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  9. I used to find this kind of shows hard to entertain me until I realized that it is important to sit nearer to the stage so that it is easier to feel involved and be absorbed in the performance rather than away~

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    1. We were seated in the very front row for this show, so you're right, the experience was much better there in front! :-)

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  10. Awww, so cool to be able to bring the whole family along! The kids surely would enjoy this show!

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  11. Sounds like amazing show that I would love to watch. Too bad it does not run in India :(

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  12. I had to laugh while reading this Fred because I too tend to be a bit skeptical of some kid's shows. We recently spent an hour at an Imagination Movers show so I totally understand, but it is always great when we, as parents, are proved wrong :-)

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  13. Ahhhh, too bad we don't have the luxury to have these shows here. I would love to send my nieces and nephew to this kinds of show. Hopefully they'll expand and bring it here in the south.

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  14. Story of a light bulb in love with a picture? Ha ha... I am sure kids loved it! Sounds fun!

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  15. I haven't been to a show like this in ages. It might be time.

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  16. Sounds like a fun show! The poster does look a bit strange but I think my son would absolutely love to watch this!

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  17. Wally's seems like a great way to entertain my kids too. The find it hard to focus their attention on something for more than 5 minutes but I would definitely try Wally's for them.

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  18. Oh gosh, this reminds me of when I was young and got pulled out of the crowd to take part in a magic show....spoiler, it did not end well!

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  19. Wow! It looks like a super fantastic show that nobody wanna miss out!

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