Cover Image: Playful promo artwork for Adam Page: For Kids… and their Adults, riffing on a school‑notebook band. Photo supplied.

Adam Page – For Kids… and their Adults
State Theatre Centre of WA – Rehearsal Room 1
Thursday 22nd January, Fringe World

There are plenty of children’s shows that claim to entertain adults, but Adam Page’s For Kids… and their Adults delivers on that promise. I attended with my nephew Luke, who didn’t know much about the show and was very aware he wasn’t the one who selected it. However, by the close his verdict was immediate and unprompted: “That was really, very funny!”

Rather than over-the-top pandering to kids or tossing parents a few tired if-you-know-you-know jokes, Page built a genuinely engaging and collaborative live music experience from start to finish. The show seemed to demonstrate a real trust in the audience’s capacity for attention, creativity, and humour, shown through the combination of Page’s musical expertise and — with colourful painted nails and squiggly pants — easy, fun-loving stage presence.

As looping artist, Page builds songs live by recording and layering sounds in real time. What could easily feel like a technical demo instead becomes a high-energy, playful music lab, complete with saxophone riffs, audience contributions, and a gleeful willingness to use almost anything as an instrument.

The show opens with Page playing a funky riff on his knees, an early indication that this performance will be silly, unpretentious, and physically committed. He soon begins sampling the audience who, at this point, were all eager to get involved. Looping their voices and spontaneous, silly noises seemed like second nature and created a surprisingly cohesive and head-bopping track. At this point Luke taps me on the leg, a cue we decided meant ‘remember this bit for the review, I really like it’. 

One segment transforms a volunteer’s name into a song, repeating it in shifting tones, moods, and rhythms until it becomes melody. Another has Page blowing across bottle tops, lowering the pitch with each sip and looping the notes into a song. With more taps on my leg, I made mental notes of each. Luke later told me he enjoyed the unconventional sound sources, including “bottles and fart noises,” and the underlying idea that “you can actually get good sounding music out of the strangest things.”

The standout moment of this performance came when Luke felt comfortable enough to join Page onstage as one of his volunteers. “I was excited that I got to volunteer,” he said afterward. “I played one of those antennae thingys and it kind of goes reeeeoooooow wwwweeeee”. 

The instrument was a theremin — an electronic instrument played by moving your hands in proximity to an antenna. Luke quickly picked up on the musical structure of the moment. After he and Page had traded musical bars, Page on saxophone and Luke on theremin, he noted, “I knew what the counting means, it was easy.” Watching a child confidently improvise with a professional musician felt like one of the show’s quiet triumphs and proof that kids don’t need to be patronised to be engaged. Luke adds, “Everyone told me it was really good after the show, and it’s a fun instrument to play.”

To round off the show, Page invites a mum from the audience to rap Dr. Seuss over a beatboxed loop, a risky idea that lands thanks to Page’s musical instincts and the crowd’s willingness to embrace the absurd. Throughout, the show draws music from voices, household objects, improvised sound effects, and whatever energy the room happens to offer. This is exactly how the show ends, with one last looped, funky jam.

For my nephew, the appeal was simple and sincere. It was funny, surprising, interactive, and fun, “a great time” he confirmed. For adults, the pleasure lies in watching a performer who is musically skilled, structurally sharp, and genuinely generous with his audience. If I had any criticism, it would be that Page, in moments of banter, seems less convinced of his own comic instincts than his musical ones. His jokes often land, but he occasionally undercuts them with hesitation. A little more conviction in those moments, and some practised transitions, would sharpen the rhythm of the show.

Beneath the silliness sits a quietly strong message. Music does not have to come from expensive instruments or serious people. It can come from kids, noise, play, mistakes, and imagination.

Luke gives it five stars. Frankly, that feels about right.

Adam Page – For Kids… and their Adults is running until 1 February at Fringe World. For more information and tickets, visit:
https://fringeworld.com.au/whats-on/adam-page-for-kids-and-their-adults-fw2026