Little Ladybug

A group of young friends gather to commemorate the anniversary of one of their number's passing. Unknown to them, their lost companion is present, in more ways than one.

Campfire’s cast feels like a real group of friends, with great camaraderie, believable friction and genuine warmth. There is ring of truth detail in the interactions which is matched by the perfectly imperfect set by production designers Harper Freeman and Riley Sheehy, with its expertly eclectic seating arrangements.

In the central, but unacknowledged, unseen by other characters, role of Joan, was Conor Flint. A quite ethereal performance, as Conor has lovely presence an actor with some fae like qualities. This was lovely casting. Alli Mack’s lighting design was key in making Joan feel in another plane from the other characters, while Ash Bogward’s animations helped, an AV presentation that took us back in time throughout. 

Hostess Vic was beautifully played by Tiandra Seal, with much more to offer than being tall. Princess of the group, Fran, was given thought and depth by Sian Griffiths. 

Group comedian, and mid-transitioning, Lou, was played with layers and poignancy by Lauren Westphalia Groves behind confidence and swagger, while Sam Nichols nicely captured rich boy Angel. Kailem Mollard, as Osker, hiding many secrets, nicely completed this ensemble cast.

While some sequences felt a little drawn out (this may be the result of director and writer being one and the same - although Jarrad clearly has talent as both), the show had a great sense of directorial intent and unity.

It was also nice to see some trans and non-binary characters, where their gender identity was just part of the character, and not the most interesting thing about them.

Little Ladybug was a feel-good interesting premise that played well. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Kimberley Shaw