Little Lark of London

The concept of Tink is quite a fascinating one – According to the main character, Tink, all fairies are born big, shining with their own magical light. But, as they grow older and more insecure, they begin to shrink. Tink recounts the story of Tinker Bell and her fights with Wendy over the “man-boy” Peter Pan, promising to never let herself shrink as she is going to go on to do great things. She has a complicated relationship with her mother and is having issues with her friends, including her best friend, Chloe.

Kat Kleve plays the titular character, wearing a lovely costume that appears to be a modern interpretation of Tinker Bell’s costume from Peter Pan. She does a great job switching between characters and portraying Tink at different ages. Along with acting she sings and plays the guitar, making for a lovely folk vibe for the show. The songs are nice but tend to be quite repetitive, which can be frustrating, especially as the tone of the show changes.

Unfortunately, even though the story revolves around a fairy named Tink and a magical world, it turns out the show is more focused on real life. Tink and her friends go to school and fly laps around a field, go to a mall and shop at Claire’s, and message each other on phones. I would have loved to see the same concepts of growing up and struggling with friendships in an entirely different world, one based more on fantasy than reality.

Ultimately, Tink has an interesting concept and Kleve is a very talented performer, but for a show that claims to be about fairies and changing the narrative of stories like Peter Pan, it becomes more of a straightforward reflection on modern life.

TINK ran at Underbelly, Bristo Square, Clover at 12:55.

Photo Credit: Michael Wharley