Reviews

We can all recall that one special toy which, even in adulthood, puts a smile on our face when we think of it, and The Velveteen Rabbit Musical Show is about such a toy. Based on the children’s story The Velvet Rabbit by Margery Williams, this is a musical show that tells the story of a velveteen rabbit that becomes ‘real’ through the love of a little boy.

The show is written for 4-10 year olds, but the adults who were taken on the outing clearly enjoyed the show as well.

Cirque Africa’s founding father, Winston Ruddle (Papa Africa) is the first black African in the world to own, direct and produce a circus show in a big-top tent. Dressed in a colourful kaftan he strolls centre stage to wind up the crowd, his booming voice gaining everyone’s attention.

The thumping beats of drums and tribal acoustics can be felt through the floor. A company of performers dance their way into the tent with beaming smiles and infectious energy; a mean feat, given that for this matinee performance it must have been close to 40 degrees.

Fractured Fairytales by Last Dodo and performed by The Nitwits (Matt Grey and Kathryn Placing) has come to Adelaide after winning Best Kids Show at the Perth and Sydney Fringe Festivals. It is for children between the age of 5-10 years old, and from the delight the children showed at the hot afternoon performance I saw, it is a complete success.

Written in 1956, and first produced by The Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1957, this one of the first plays that explored the effect of racism and discrimination in Australia following the arrival of European refugees and migrants after the Second World War. So relevant was its message, that it was produced in the West End in London in 1959, was recorded as an ABC radio play in 1962, and was adapted for television by the ABC in 1968.