Fresh off the back of a sell-out Edinburgh Fringe stint, children’s comedy show Children are Stinky is making its way to Parramatta, just in time for the school holidays.
According to creator and director Malia Walsh, Children are Stinky has been running for eight years – just as long as her first born is old.
“I was a new mum, and I’d always done circus and cabaret and late night circus, and after having a baby I realised that all of the shows didn’t cater to the parents, and I figured, if I’m the one buying the ticket as a parent, I want a show that’s going to entertain me, so I made a show for kids and their parents,” she said.
“Our first show sold out after the first day, and it’s just been non-stop since then.”
The show, made up of performers Sam Aldham and Josie Wardrope, is a high calibre circus show with a hidden message for little ones.
“The show is two performers, and they decide that children are stinky, and lazy, and uncoordinated, and then we prove everything wrong by doing all sorts of acrobatic things, and we invite the kids up on stage,” she said.
“The kids get to prove that they’re not stinky, and they’re not lazy, and they’re not uncoordinated, so it’s a very cleverly crafted reverse psychology message about being awesome for kids.”
Having now taken the show everywhere from Beijing to Ireland, picking up a host of awards along the way, Walsh said there’s clearly plenty in it to love.
“I think they love that it is for the whole family, and everyone gets a kick out of it,” she said.
“The high skill acrobatics are jaw-dropping and astounding, but the message is also really lovely – kids bound out of the show feeling really proud of themselves.”
But, for many of the shows, it’s the kids that truly make it, with heckles from the audience creating stand out moments each and every time.
“Kids get up on stage to prove that they’re amazing and excited and not nervous,” she said.
Though eight years may seem like a long time spent on one show, Walsh said it feels like nothing, with her genuine love for it, along with great music, meaning it never gets boring.
“The music is heaps of fun. It’s all ‘90s bangers, so every show I feel like I’m in the club dancing along to the Spice Girls,” she said.
And, she says it’s just as fun if the kids don’t know it – though the ‘90s have well and truly made a comeback.
“I think they’re all coming back into fashion again!” she said.
“It’s retro-cool now, all of the music, and the parents are definitely loving the Daft Punk and S Club 7 that happens.”
Having never performed the show in the area, Walsh said she can’t wait to bring Children are Stinky to Parramatta this school holidays.
Children are Stinky will be on at Riverside Theatres from Thursday, July 11 to Saturday, July 13. Tickets start at $24.50. For more information or to book, visit http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au.
Cassidy Pearce
Cassidy Pearce is a news and entertainment journalist with The Western Weekender. A graduate of the University of Technology Sydney, she has previously worked with Good Morning Macarthur and joined the Weekender in 2022.