by an anonymous guest critic

Lightning Ridge is a playfully-told family show about a rural Australian mining community. The trouble starts when Kelly-Ann’s two imaginary friends go missing, and the whole village has to come together to find them.

Gill Robertson as co-creator and performer is a warm, friendly presence as she sets about telling this story with gusto. It’s delivered with minimal props – pebbles represent the people of the town, a chalk circle is drawn on the ground to represent a mine shaft. Gill starts the show by pouring – at length – the sand out of her boots, cleverly setting the scene. 

It’s a fun, interesting story with a few laughs for both parents and children, and in playing the whole town Gill gets the opportunity to demonstrate an impressive range of accents. The story – in which we are asked to imagine our protagonist’s imaginary friends – seems designed to make children question what is real and what is not, and whether dreams and daydreams are silly or important to a person. Perhaps it also wants us to consider whether it is kind to indulge in a fantasy if it might cheer someone up. Isn’t that the point of us all sitting together in a dark room, collectively imagining?

This is an endearing piece, which manages to deal with some heavy subject matter in a careful, cheerful way. It’s great for both adults and children and your imaginary friends get in for free.

Lightening Ridge runs through 20 August.

The Play’s the Thing UK is committed to covering fringe and progressive theatre in London and beyond. It is run entirely voluntarily and needs regular support to ensure its survival. For more information and to help The Play’s the Thing UK provide coverage of the theatre that needs reviews the most, visit its patreon.