Peter Rinderknecht Portofino Ballad

This is a one man show featuring two puppets and a double bass.

All the action was concentrated on one small square of the black stage (with only a double bass and a chair on it), which meant that you only had one place to look so you couldn’t miss anything.

The actor (Peter Rinderknecht) is Swiss but he speaks English fluently with a Swiss accent. He was very good at being funny with both words and props.

The surreal story is about a man living in a double bass and working as the cuckoo in a cuckoo clock. His grumpy teenage son doesn’t want to join the family business of Cuckoo & Son because he wants a different life by the sea. It’s actually quite a sad story about children growing up and leaving home which I don’t think would appeal to younger children.

I really liked the idea of a tiny house (and much more!) packed into a double bass that’s meant to be empty inside.

If you like a show that doesn’t have much action but plenty of gentle jokes, then this is a great thing to do in half- term!