Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, The

Photographer credit - Simon Murphy

What if you wanted your best friend Nathan’s two goldfish so much, that you would swap anything you had for them? Anything. Absolutely. Anything. Even your Dad... Read more …

Well that’s just what Neil does and when Mum finds out, she’s not best pleased and Neil and his little sister have to ’GO GET DAD BACK!’ Unfortunately though, it’s not that simple. Nathan doesn’t have Dad any more. He swapped him for Vashti’s electric guitar. And Vashti swapped Dad, with Blinky, for a gorilla mask. And Blinky swapped Dad, with Patti, for Galveston the rabbit. And Patti lives a very, very long way away.

Young audiences and their families are invited to take part in an interactive promenade production to help Neil and his sister on their mission to ‘get Dad back!’

Adapted by the creators of the award-winning One Thousand Paper Cranes (Made in Scotland Showcase in 2011), this is a show which is a little bit about being a sibling, and a little bit about being a genius.

For everyone aged six and up.

The critical consensus

Director Kemp is still short of perfection, though, and composer MJ McCarthy’s musical elements, used to help facilitate the movement around the venue, don’t always bite. And the details of ushering of the audience need more attention. But this wonderfully imaginative production certainly deserves a long life in the NTS repertoire.

Thom Dibdin, The Stage, 29/04/2013

This is children's theatre of a very high quality. Swap your Dad for a ticket.

(*) Mark Brown, The Telegraph, 29/04/2013

It's a deliciously daft concept, a quality Oliver Emanuel's script and Laura Hopkins's designs make the most of; but in execution, it is also gripping.

(*) Mark Fisher, The Guardian, 02/05/2013

The story is on the slight side, based on a simple series-of-swaps format. Along the way, though, Lu Kemp’s richly inventive NTS company have a huge amount of fun with sets and music, jokes and arguments, and the evolving relationship between Neil and his little sister.

(*) Joyce McMillan, 02/05/2013

Despite being brought to the stage by a talented team, and performed with gusto by a dynamic cast, the story itself operates on one fairly superficial level. A subtle exploration of sibling rivalry and parental engagement painted on top would have left us with far more to think about.

(*) (*) Kelly Apter, The List, 17/05/2013