The Star Seekers

All aboard, space cadets: The Star Seekers recruits a brand new team of intergalactic explorers every day in family theatre presented with boundless enthusiasm by its performers. And with such an excitable cast the energy is infectious.

Nicola Hotter’s set design is delightfully innovative with a low-budget feel to put parents in the mind of B-movies. No prop has been left untouched by the sci-fi aesthetic – even the keyboard is transformed into a switchboard. The large set's ability to rotate allows for some genuinely surprising scene changes. It matches the exploratory theme of the show brilliantly: the audience discover new corners of the great yonder at the same rate as the Seekers.

Alph, Betty and Gammo—the titular Seekers—share a dynamic without any hostility which is refreshing. Instead, the conflict comes from retrieving a series of orbs to power an infinite energy device. Each performer has their own sequence for finding an orb, making for a somewhat formulaic feel, but this aids in easily establishing the characters.

There’s plenty of audience interaction which, here, carries a nice sincerity. Name tags mean that the Star Seekers address children by their first name: even something as simple as this gives a personal touch to the audience’s experience. Plenty of mime and dancing means energetic younger members are kept from fidgeting – there’s a method to all the madness, and it’s a whole lot of fun.