We were back at the Underbelly this bank holiday weekend, for some more family fun with FailFailFailFailWin! A circus show with a difference, it aims to inspire and empower children to keep going when things get difficult. While most circus performers try to make things look as effortless as possible, FailFailFailFailWin! celebrates the formative power of failure. None of this “dream big and you can do anything” messaging here – Marky Jay and Loz Because are on a mission to tell you all about the importance of practice.
Mark and Loz have a new act, and they’re ready to show it off to an audience – Well, Mark is anyway. But even with plenty of practice, his juggling still isn’t perfect, so Loz is convinced that they should just stop the show and send the audience home. But Mark perseveres and ultimately his juggling is impressive – perhaps even more so because we saw the effort it took to get there. Mark’s not afraid to fail, and it’s paying off. Loz, on the other hand, is absolutely terrified of failure. So much so that she hasn’t practised her hula hoop routine at all. Does she rise to the occasion and pull off a spectacularly unlikely feat of athletic prowess? No, of course she doesn’t. Instead, we head off on an adventure into Loz’s brain to find the source of the problem.
With a little help from the audience, plus pals including professor Steven Chimpington (scientist, raconteur, critic) and Sven Svenstoferson (Swedish Astronaut and CBT coach), will Loz be able to face her fears and change her mindset? There’s a lot going on in Loz’s head, but she’s soon spinning multiple plates – both the metaphorical kind and the very real, breakable IKEA VERDAGAN variety. And, through a helpful plot device, we do ultimately get to see her do the flashy hula hoop routine of dreams.
It’s a brilliant show with an uplifting message, delivered with a heavy dose of humour and some truly impressive circus skills. And it’s not just for kids – a lot of the comedy (and even some of the positive messaging) is aimed squarely at the adults of the audience. There’s even an opportunity to stick around at the end to try out (and buy!) some circus equipment for yourself. The munchkins especially enjoyed this, and came home with their own spinning plates (thankfully of the plastic variety).
Officially, the age guide for the show is “great for 3-10 year olds. Unsuitable for 15 year olds. And we’re strict on that.” We’re generally a bit suspicious of shows that suggest a wide age range, because it can be difficult to entertain toddlers and tweens with the same material, but this is one place where Loz and Mark have definitely not failed! And while we agree that a full blown teenager might roll their eyes at the material, you can very much get away with stretching the upper age limit here. Quaver is very nearly 11 and Crotchet is hurtling towards 13 at an alarming rate, but they both loved it.
Overall, FailFailFailFailWin! is a shining example of children’s theatre that meaningfully incorporates valuable messaging into something that’s also great fun to watch. Educational, empowering and entertaining – it’s very much a winning formula.
FailFailFailFailWin! played at Underbelly, Cavendish Square from 24 to 16 August 2024. We received complimentary tickets to the performance on 26 August.