Concerto for Harmony and Presto

Harmony (Liz Skitch) loves to sing and dance. Her family has fallen upon hard times, but instead of selling their gramophone as planned, she sets it up in the street and begins to busk. Just as she is getting into her groove, Presto (Don Voyage) arrives with his tinker’s cart of all sorts of objects (from pots to saws) and begins to drown her out with his cacophony. Harmony’s ordered world starts to fall apart. Will this be the beginning of a fierce rivalry, or an unlikely friendship?

Concerto for Harmony and Presto evokes the imaginative, unlimited world of children’s play. The set is deceptively simple- predominantly curtains and boxes that both allow shadow puppetry and conceal props, with lighting by Jason Glenwright that gives the atmosphere of an olden day circus or magic show.

Directed by Michel Futcher, the production highlights the powerful communicative and comedic potential of sound and music, as the character Presto does not speak. The story is unpretentious and manages to be both sweet and very funny- the theatre hummed with the near constant giggling of children.

Concerto for Harmony and Presto encourages audiences to find the music in unexpected everyday objects and activities, and has the underlying message that it is better to share and work together. With a mix of puppetry, music and clowning, this is delightful, whimsical show to take the kids to during the school holidays.