Trash Test Dummies

Children are invited to join in the silliness as a trio of men own the stage, each with a pair of sweaty dungarees and a household bin. Barely seconds go by without squeals of disbelief or laughter from the audience as the performers rain down joy.

The Australian group, formed of Jamie Bretman, Jack Coleman and Simon Wright, involve us at every opportunity, crashing through our seats, jumping on laps and hiding behind children not even a quarter of their own size. There is humour in everything they do, and they treat toddlers and adults as equals, telling off the grown-ups when their children are “naughty, naughty, naughty!”

With a mixture of classic clowning, slapstick and acrobatics, this comedy circus is perfect for families. Each performer has his own skills. While one has an elegantly twisted moustache that immediately makes him liked most by the children, another has an elastic face and the third has a core of steel. But the key is the constant bond, trust and jovial nature between the three.

There’s more scope for impressive acrobatics, which are ever so slightly buried in favour of simple slapstick sequences that receive more laughs. Though certain sequences aren’t in perfect time and occasionally a hat or bat is dropped, their good humour sweeps any miniscule mistake away and replaces it with another joke that gets the audience cheering.

While bins may be their muse, these charming pranksters make a performance for kids of all ages that is so far from being rubbish.