Leamington-based dance company Motionhouse’s current touring production of Starchitects is full of surprises, packed with fun, and revisits the magic of our childhood imaginations. 

The captivating cosmic adventure combines digital projections with dynamic, thrilling and gravity-defying choreography presented in Motionhouse’s renowned and distinctive style. Integrating acrobatics and elements of circus with breathtaking dance, the company remind the adults in the audience of a time when they too had boundless amounts of energy with which to play, climb, run, skip and jump all day long!

The celebration of play and childhood focuses on five children who, during a sleepover, dream of reaching the moon from their bedroom. The dancers’ astounding physical strength and agility is much in evidence as they present the youngsters’ exciting adventures - including landing on the moon! Motionhouse make the on-stage magic happen with the assistance of just a few big cardboard boxes, a large metal frame and a dressing-up box.

The show’s music is vibrant and the costumes colourful - pyjama-like outfits are swapped for silver dungarees, hats and goggles when it’s time to blast off into space. There’s a lunar landscape too, where two fairies live. Their beautiful contemporary dances provide a wonderful contrast with the rough-and-tumble playfulness evident throughout the rest of the show. The fairies help the children escape from a brilliant four-legged, slinky-like green monster, a creation which Motionhouse have taken care to ensure is in no way sinister or the stuff of nightmares for younger members of the audience. 

Boasting a storyline that’s funny, thrilling and easy to follow, Starchitects is a perfect theatrical experience for every age group. The show is only 55 minutes in length but is truly spectacular and completely engaging from start to finish. 

Five stars

Reviewed by Sue Hull at Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 3 February. Motionhouse Starchitects shows at Lichfield Garrick on Wednesday 5 & Thursday 6 April