Putting the poo in computers

The List Operators do Compooters is a very, very funny show. For the best part of an hour the two actors who make up the List Operators run around the stage like manic madmen lost in a world of computers seen from the point of view of a six-year-old. The show is full of the sort of jokes kids love, with the occasional nod to the adults in the audience. The humour is basic and completely infectious thanks to the sheer energy of the players. There’s a lot of audience participation; enough to keep even the most fidgety child engaged.

The show is pitched to the 5-10 year-old age bracket but it’d work for kids a bit younger than that, and a bit older if they don’t take themselves too seriously and don’t mind the more than occasional dirty underpants joke. This show is a generally great way to introduce the kids to live theatre, especially for kids more used to screens of one sort or another.

I did feel old, though, when they played a giant virtual game of Pong on the stage – a game I played on screen when it was incredibly cool. The adult holding one of the cardboard paddles correctly moved it only up and down. The child on the other side who’d never seen this most basic of games wielded their paddle like a cricket bat. That made me feel my age.

And if you’re not persuaded yet, the List Operators own ad for their appearance at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in April can have the last word: “P.S We have a new fart machine!”.