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Babies Proms: Tubby the Tuba – Sydney’s Best Shows For Kids

August 8, 2015 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

As I’ve written about previously, our family loves the Babies Proms at the Sydney Opera House. This week we very happily trotted down to see the latest one, Tubby The Tuba.

Tubby The Tuba is a lively performance to introduce children to different orchestral instruments. The special nine-piece proms orchestra (comprising a bassoon, flute, piccolo, tuba, two violins, viola, cello, trombone and xylophone) entertainly educated their tiny audience on what the role of a conductor is, what each instrument is and what it does, and the basic concepts of how instruments work together.

Musical terms like melody, tempo and rhythm were covered in a manner that was simple enough for little kids to grasp and absorb, and in a fashion that was fun and engaging.

This is really where Babies Proms shine in children’s entertainment. They carefully blend education and entertainment together to create the perfect show for young children with short attention spans. The shows drip advanced terms and concepts like bread crumbs to their eager audience to nibble on while they’re enjoying dancing and singing, resulting in the kids leaving, thoroughly entertained, and not even realising that they’ve just learned something pretty significant.

After the introduction to the orchestra, it was time for the musicians to tell the story of Tubby the Tuba. Based on the classic 1941 children’s song (also called Tubby The Tuba), the story tells of a tuba who wants a melody of his own. As with all stories, the enjoyment often relies on the skills of the re-teller, and the conductor leading the narrative was masterful in his acting, singing and stage presence.

The performance drew to a close and the musicians came down to meet their young fans and tell them a bit more about their instruments. Getting up close to the instruments and performers is always a highlight for the kids in attendance.

We were all pretty hungry after our musical morning, so we grabbed a $7 kids lunch box from the cafeteria inside the Play House and picnicked with friends in the sun. With the Sydney Harbour Bridge on one side, and the Opera House on the other, we were in for quite a view.

BABIES PROMS: TUBBY THE TUBA
Showing: 5 – 16 August 2015
Suitable for children ages 2 – 5

Tickets on sale from the Sydney Opera House.

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Thank you to the Sydney Opera House for providing us with tickets for reviewing purposes. As always, we are their biggest fans and opinions are my own.

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield

January 28, 2015 / Cheese, Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

If you have a preschooler, likely you know exactly who the Octonauts are, too. The popular TV show (it’s one of the 10 most watched TV shows in Australia) has been teaching kids about the importance of ocean conservation since it began airing on television two years ago.

The Octonauts are a team of eight quirky (and adorable) sea creatures, led by Captain Barnacles (a polar bear), whose mission it is to explore underwater worlds, rescue sea creatures and protect the ocean.

By watching this TV show, Cheese has learned a great deal about ocean life, such as that jelly fish sting, and sharks are dangerous. Unlike a lot of shows that I’m pretty sure rot the brain (don’t get me started on those horrible egg unwrapping YouTube videos), Octonauts is something I’m happy for my daughter to be watching on TV as it’s so educational.

If your kid is also an Octonauts lover, they’ll be excited to hear about the Australian world premiere of the Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield show, a live adventure musical touring Australia from 21 Feb to 28 March 2015. The show features all of the show’s beloved characters, transformed into lifelike walkaround costumes (like the Captain Barnacles in the pictures, whom we were lucky enough to recently meet). Expect to hear the famous “Creature Report” song, The Octonauts theme song, plus 15 new songs sung by the Octonauts as well as a colourful array of Australian reef creatures.

Cheese is a massive fan of The Octonauts, as you can see from her face in these photos. We were lucky enough to be invited on a tour of Sydney Sea Life with Captain Barnacles himself.

As we walked through the aquarium, we met all kinds of special Australian reef creatures, such as the Crown of Thorns Starfish, with whom Captain Barnacles is going to face his scariest threat ever in the live show (this starfish has got some epic big, sharp spikes, so I can believe he’d be scary when he’s not behind glass!).

Thank you so much Life Like Touring and Octonauts for this very special experience.

Does your Octonauts fan want to see their heroes live, too? Tickets for Octonauts Live! Operation Reef Shield are on sale now at octonautslive.com.au.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea: Sydney’s Best Shows For Kids

December 18, 2014 / Cheese, Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 6 Comments

Growing up, The Tiger Who Came To Tea was a favourite book of mine. It’s such a fun concept, a tiger knocking on a door and asking to stay for tea, to a family who, while a bit surprised, don’t seem as surprised as you or I might be at a talking tiger appearing at their door and devouring not them, but their cake, sandwiches and tea. Utterly ridiculous and completely charming. Written by Judith Kerr in 1968, the book is still relevant today, as shown by the enduring success of the book, and current success of this stage show.

Several months back, I was at the Sydney Opera House with Cheese and friends at one of their Babies Proms. As we left the theatre, we were amazed to see a huge tiger (note: man dressed as tiger, not ACTUAL tiger) sitting down at a fancy high tea and having his photo taken. Turned out these shots were press pics for the new The Tiger Who Came To Tea show, which opened last week.

The girls wanted to have their photo taken with the tiger, hence the opening photo, and today we finally saw The Tiger Who Came To Tea show live.

As in the book, the show invites us into the lives of Sophie and her family, as they are faced with an unexpected, mayhem-inducing tea guest. The show closely follows the book, with some added details that give a bit more background into Sophie and her families’ lives. Fun songs break up the dialogue, and there is a delightfully silly dance number in the middle of the show that has the audience on their feet, brandishing their tiger claws and swishing their imaginary tails.

Another great interactive moment comes towards the end of the show, with an easy sing-a-long. The producers of the show have really done a fantastic job to create the perfect show for their target audience (kids aged 3-5-ish). The run time of 50 minutes was perfect for short attention spans, too.

Our group of two three-year-olds and one five-year-old thoroughly enjoyed the show. The wiggly three-year-olds were so mesmerised by the tiger and rest of the performance that they forgot to be wiggley, and the five-year-old laughed constantly at the physical humour (perfect casting too!).

If you’re in Sydney next week with little kids, take them to see The Tiger That Came To Tea. Our discerning mini-theatre goers give it several very enthusiastic thumbs up.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea is showing at the Sydney Opera House until December 28. Recommended for children aged 3+.