Bryony Kimmings: That Catherine Bennett Show (Contact, Manchester)

The Festive Season is upon us bringing shows for young people, devised in accordance with a formula well past its use by date.

Bryony Kimmings sets out to challenge not just what is accepted as suitable entertainment for youngsters but also their perceived role in society. And to do so in a show that includes song and dance numbers and a high level of audience involvement.

Children are notorious for asking awkward questions. Frustrated at being unable to find a suitable role model for her nine year old niece, Taylor (who fearlessly joins her aunt in the show) Bryony Kimmings sets out to develop a credible likeable superstar who fits the criteria set down by Taylor.

The result is Catherine Bennett, a singing paleontologist who is environmentally active and community-spirited.That Catherine Bennett Show details the origins of the character and traces her rise from concept to being played on Radio One.

The format for the show is extremely loose; at one point a lost pair of specs causes a delay. Much of the material was developed by Kimmings attending schools and taking suggestions from pupils and there is a trace of the school assembly in the presentation.

The homemade costumes and breathless style of presentation bring a freshness and charm that is absent from slick formulaic shows. A rag doll, manipulated by Taylor, stands in for an absent New York lyrical collaborator .

A very confident Taylor acts as a narrator while her aunt, with an assist from a pair of poker-faced backing dancers, performs Bennett’s songs. A particular success is the duo miming to a medley of songs from singers that Kimmings used as her role models.

The youngsters in the audience respond with glee to the show offering suggestions for inventions they would like to see developed in the future and taking advantage of the chance to join the cast on stage. The adults have just as much fun taking part in the excruciating animal-style mime to Bennett’s songs.

That Catherine Bennett Show is a blessed relief from formulaic children’s shows and, you never know, may even help some of the audience question why the views of children are rarely heeded. That would be very C. B.

That Catherine Bennett Show is at Contact tonight – 22 November.