Children's show review: The Dragon And The Whales, Assembly Roxy

'If anyone wants to say goodbye to the puppets, just come up,' the performers tell us at the end of this show for three-to-ten-year-olds.

The Dragon And The Whales, Assembly Roxy (Venue 139) ***

It’s a mark of how successful Modest Predicament’s lo-fi inventiveness is that a small queue forms.

A dragon entrusts her egg to the whales, but the baby dragon must reach the surface to let the fire in its heart burn. Even for a show for the very young, there’s no real sense of danger (pirates are only introduced to sing a song that’s quite rude about their personal hygiene). However, the homemade creativity is ingenious; the dragon is a lampshade attached to a extractor-fan vent with an umbrella for wings but the skilled puppetry give it real personality.

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Similar low-budget invention – a bubble gun, basically – is used to create the depths of the sea which should fire many a young imagination showing them they can attempt this sort of storytelling at home.

The best aspect, however, was a young man in the front row who provided a running commentary on the show. “Doggie!” he shouted delightedly when the dragon first appeared. Then, as it unfolded its wings: “flying doggie!”

• Until 27 August, noon