Known for his dry wit and disdain for stupidity, faux French comedian Marcel Lucont has limited time for little people – except when they might make him some money. For children may be the most awful of creatures, but there are rather a lot of them on the planet, and those tasked with their care are willing to splash the cash in order to keep them occupied. In fact, many parents remain so deeply in denial about the true terribleness of their own offspring that they actively seek out opportunities to entertain them. So Lucont had the masterful idea of producing a show to expose the awfulness that lies inside every child. Et voila, Les Enfants Terrible – A Gameshow for Awful Children was born.
Truly a show that is every bit as entertaining for the adults as it is for the children, Les Enfants Terrible is a masterclass in milking the old adage “never work with children”. The premise of the production is a competition between the youngsters of the audience to prove that they are the most awful child. After a series of challenges, each more awful than the next, one truly terrible specimen will walk away with a certificate of awfulness.
As a comedian, Lucont is capable of adapting to unexpected interjections from the audience, but children take this to another level, threatening to derail proceedings entirely. Lucont takes it all in his stride, treating their left-field contributions with an appropriate degree of disdain without overstepping into actually upsetting anyone. At the show we attended, one child made it his mission to ignore the rules of the competition altogether, but Lucont masterfully managed to keep things on track.
There is scope for every child to get involved if they want to, but nobody is forced to participate (although, some adults may find themselves unwillingly in the spotlight thanks to the contributions of their children). It’s all done very fairly, with everyone given the chance to get up on stage at least once. Quaver loves an interactive show and managed to go up a couple of times, while Crotchet steadfastly kept her head down. Both really enjoyed it, although Quaver is still bemoaning the fact that she did not receive a congratulatory flump for sharing her story about the time that Mrs Mummy fell in a fountain!
Overall, Les Enfants Terrible – A Gameshow for Awful Children is a fantastic family production that will have both adults and children screaming with laughter. Just be prepared for even the seemingly sweetest of small people to return home horrid!
Les Enfants Terrible – A Gameshow for Awful Children played at Underbelly Festival, Cavendish Square on 30 August 2024. We received complimentary press tickets to the performance.