Festival review: Joshua Seigal: We all love llamas!; Princes Mall (venue 203)

Hearing a room full of excitable children scream “Yab!” at the top of their lungs is a fairly surreal experience, but in the hands of Joshua Seigal it all seems to make perfect sense.

An affable and confident presence, he leads us through poems filled with weird and vivid characters, and interactive elements that connect effortlessly with the fears and loves children carry.

This is a show strictly for children and it is unapologetic about that, with no attempt to pander to the parents. It’s perhaps not as physical as it needs to be and, as a result, his poetry fails to come alive as much as it should. Nevertheless, such a genuinely modest performance is rare, and his charm dominates. Seigal rarely underestimates the intelligence of his young audience and, by refusing to dumb down his vocabulary, he provides them with new and imaginative insights. Children are arguably the most honest critics you can rely on and, by the smiles on their faces, it seems this whimsical hour won them over, and me too.

Rating: * * *

Until 25 August. Today 2:15pm.