Musicians quite literally play vegetables in this musical-commercial campaign hybrid
In The Other Palace’s studio space, a stage is bedecked in vegetables. The lighting low, Ginsters logo appears on every surface, signaling the not-so-subtle commercial facet of this production. Dan Mersh, our compere for the afternoon, bounds onto the stage to introduce himself and provide a little context to the event. This event is inspired by the apparent care Ginsters takes when it comes to sourcing their vegetables for their products. What follows is an array of musical performances, a video of Farmer Merryn’s day in the life on her farm, a surprising interval and an overarching profession of how amazing Ginsters is for taking such care in cultivating their vegetables.
Undeniably geared towards families and unsurprisingly intended to imprint the idea of a Ginsters Cornish pasty on the influential minds of the children who watch the show, who will in turn at some point ask their parents for the product they were entertained in the name of, the production does indeed feature a vegetable-based musical performance. Four musicians enter the stage armed with two carrots, a potato, and a swede. The carrots are carved in such a way as to imitate something like a clarinet, the potato is reminiscent of a trumpet, and the swede features a segmented bottom that can be manipulated to create a low, robust buzz. The performance is undeniably impressive and genuinely entertaining. These are skilled musicians quite literally playing vegetables. The sea shanty group The Monkeyfists also makes an appearance and the littles in the studio were clearly excited by the passionate sea shanties sung by the group.
Farmer Merryn provides a distinct storyline for the production to hold onto. In the video, she goes through her day on the farm, talking about the care with which she raises her vegetables. It is lighthearted and reasonably funny, Farmer Merryn talking about her farm as though the vegetables are her children.
Overall, the contents of this event, namely performances by the London Vegetables Orchestra, The Monkeyfists, Dan Mersh’s hosting skills, and Lauren Hendricks as Farmer Merryn, were genuinely entertaining. Lauren Hendricks has great comedic timing and is incredibly convincing as Farmer Merryn, making it no surprise that Hendricks is the face for their national campaign. A pretty great event for kids, this is most certainly a nice event for a family to enjoy. Whether the event can be categorised as theatre or as a glorified ad campaign is up to the viewer to decide.