By Flossie Waite 
Filskit Theatre Company
Lyric Hammersmith
1.00pm, 8th February 2014
Ages 3+
****

It turns out that a couple of feathers, some white boards, and a neurotic scout is a winning combination. The Feather Catcher follows Freda (Katy Costigan) and Greta (Victoria Dyson), who belong to some sort of scout-like feather-catching club – the kind that has a uniform of woggle and ill-fitting shorts. There are four kinds of feathers – red, yellow, green, and blue –  and the aim is to catch ‘em all, in this middle class twist on Pokemon. For each kind of feather caught, there is a corresponding badge to wear proudly on a sash. Freda is a very good, if slightly fixated, feather catcher – she is adept at identification and categorization, and has cages filled with red, green, and yellow feathers. Happy-go-lucky Greta is less bound up in the feather catching business but, somehow, the ever-elusive blue feather threatens to come between them…

This wordless production demanded a lot of its cast, and they gave it their energy-filled all – who knew that one face could achieve so many expressions? Even Sarah Gee, who created and controlled the floating feathers through a hand-held projector, acted her regulation scout socks  off – she was the mischievous blue feather. The play required incredibly tight choreography as the feathers appeared to be stroked, kicked, karate-chopped, and almost swallowed. It was easy to forget that no one actually said anything – so much was conveyed through action and the accompanying music… and eventually the shouts from the audience of children who very much wanted to help Freda and Greta.

The structure is sound and the play is enhanced by its simplicity. However, some of the sections are just slightly too long, and risk becoming a bit repetitive. That said, The Feather Catcher is at once truly gentle, but also very funny – it is hard to think of a more pleasant way to spend 45 minutes.

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